Abstract: A vehicle charging system includes a battery bank including at least one repurposed battery and a charging station in electrical communication with the battery bank and configured to deliver a DC output from the battery bank to an electrified vehicle.

Abstract: An exemplary charger positioning method includes, among other things, positioning a charging plug of a conductive charger relative to a charge port of a vehicle based on a wireless transmission between the conductive charger and the vehicle. An exemplary charger assembly includes a transmitter system associated with one of a vehicle or a conductive charger, a receiver system associated with the other of the vehicle or the conductive charger, and an actuator that moves a charging plug of the conductive charger to a charging position in response to a transmission from the transmitter system.

Abstract: A closed-loop system may include a plant (an elctric machine requiring control) and a fractional-order proportional-resonant controller. The fractional-order proportional-resonant controller may have an order greater than zero and less than or equal to one. The order for the fractional-order proportional-resonant controller may be selected to yield a target amplitude and target slope for frequency response. The frequency response may be such that a steady-state error associated with a speed of the electric machine is inversely proportional to the target amplitude and less than a predetermined threshold. The order of the controller may be 0.9.

Abstract: An assembly includes a photovoltaic module including a solar cell and a cooling system including a heat pipe adapted to dissipate heat from the solar cell. A method includes dissipating heat from the solar cell using the heat pipe. The photovoltaic module may be disposed on a vehicle to convert solar energy into electricity.

Abstract: A support structure for a vehicle roof panel includes a solar panel module. The solar panel module is disposed within an opening defined by an outer periphery of a support structure. The solar panel module includes a first part configured to slide underneath a second part containing a solar array adhered to a flange. The flange has a plurality of ribs extending across the solar array. The ribs have a V-shaped cross-section to support the solar panel module within the second part.

Abstract: A closed-loop system may include a plant (an electric machine requiring control) and a fractional-order proportional-resonant controller. The fractional-order proportional-resonant controller may have an order greater than zero and less than or equal to one. The order for the fractional-order proportional-resonant controller may be selected to yield a target amplitude and target slope for frequency response. The frequency response may be such that a steady-state error associated with a speed of the electric machine is inversely proportional to the target amplitude and less than a predetermined threshold. The order of the controller may be 0.9.

Abstract: Systems to wirelessly power transfer to a tailgate are disclosed. An example disclosed vehicle includes a transmitting circuit in a body of the vehicle configured to transmit power via wireless capacitive transfer. The example vehicle also includes a receiving circuit in a tailgate of the vehicle configured to receive power via wireless capacitive transfer.

Abstract: A secondary side wireless power transfer compensation circuit includes a secondary coil, a capacitor in series with the secondary coil, and an inductor in parallel with the secondary coil and capacitor. The inductor has an impedance matching a reflected impedance of a load electrically connected thereacross such that the secondary coil achieves resonance with a primary coil coupled therewith at a predetermined frequency that depends on the impedance.

Abstract: A parameter estimation system includes a first coil configured to be loosely inductively coupled to a second coil. A controller is programmed to output parameters of the first coil and second coil. The controller is programmed to estimate the parameters based on voltage and current measurement from only the first or the second coil. The voltage and current measurements may be used in a Kalman filter. In some configurations, the controller is further programmed to command a short circuit between terminals of the second coil and apply a test voltage to the first coil. The first coil may be part of a vehicle charging station and the second coil may be part of a vehicle. The parameters may be utilized to control charging of the vehicle.

Abstract: A wireless vehicle charging system includes at least one controller configured to operate an inverter to control a voltage input to a power converter in a vehicle to drive an impedance phase angle at an output of the inverter toward a predetermined angle and achieve a power demand at an output of the vehicle power converter. The at least one controller is further configured to operate the vehicle power converter to achieve the power demand. The at least one controller may control a frequency output of the inverter to adjust the voltage input to the power converter based on a rate of change of an objective function that is configured to reduce an output power error of the power converter and an impedance phase angle error at the output of the inverter.

Abstract: For maximum power point tracking, a method filters a power monitoring signal with a tracking fractional order filter to generate a filtered power monitoring signal. The method further generates a tracking signal tracking the power point from the filtered power monitoring signal.

Abstract: An apparatus includes an energy input module that applies an amount of energy to a primary converter of a wireless power transfer (“WPT”) system. The WPT system includes secondary converter with a secondary receiver pad. The WPT system transfers energy from a primary transmitter pad to the secondary receiver pad and the secondary converter provides power to a load. The apparatus includes a coupling measurement module that measures a coupling coefficient between the primary transmitter pad and the secondary receiver pad when the primary transmitter pad and the secondary receiver pad are separated by a vertical distance and horizontally aligned at a horizontal position. The apparatus includes a coupling threshold module that determines if the coupling coefficient is above a coupling threshold, and an alignment alert module that sends an alignment alert in response to the coupling coefficient being above the coupling threshold.

Abstract: For maximum power point tracking, a method filters a power monitoring signal with a tracking fractional order filter to generate a filtered power monitoring signal. The method further generates a tracking signal tracking the power point from the filtered power monitoring signal.