Patents by Inventor Lyall Kenneth Winger

Lyall Kenneth Winger 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: 12074590
    Abstract: A system in a vehicle includes a first fuse connected between a power source and a load. The first fuse is an electronic fuse (eFuse) to disconnect the load from the power source via the first fuse based on opening a first fuse switch. The system also includes a second fuse connected between the power source and the load via a second fuse switch. The first fuse and the second fuse are part of a cluster of fuses. A controller opens the first fuse switch and keeps the second fuse switch closed based on the vehicle entering a key-off mode in which the vehicle is turned off.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 27, 2024
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Suresh Gopalakrishnan, Chandra S. Namuduri, Lyall Kenneth Winger, James M. Morrison
  • Publication number: 20240246451
    Abstract: A smart energy center for a vehicle is provided. The smart energy center includes a buck convertor configured to provide power to a first load that has a substantially constant resistance level and a boost converter configured to provide power to a second load that requires a minimum voltage level and substantially constant power level. The smart energy center also includes a buck-boost converter configured to provide power to a third load that requires a voltage level within a threshold range and an electronic fuse configured to provide power to a fourth load. The smart energy center further includes a controller configured to operate the buck convertor, the boost converter, the buck-boost converter, and the electronic fuse.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 20, 2023
    Publication date: July 25, 2024
    Inventors: Chandra S. Namuduri, Suresh Gopalakrishnan, Infane Lowe, Xinyu Du, Lyall Kenneth Winger
  • Patent number: 12046946
    Abstract: A vehicle, an electrical system of the vehicle and a method of operating the vehicle. The electrical system includes a battery, an electrical load that draws power from the battery, a switch between the battery and the electrical load, and a processor. The processor is configured to measure a power drawn from the battery by the electrical load and open the switch to disconnect the battery from the electrical load when the power drawn by the electrical load matches a selected criterion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 16, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2024
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Suresh Gopalakrishnan, Chandra S. Namuduri, Norman K. Bucknor, Lyall Kenneth Winger, James Morrison, David W. Walters
  • Patent number: 12046842
    Abstract: A battery clamp system for a battery includes a terminal receiving portion configured to be coupled to a terminal of the battery. The battery clamp system includes an anti-rotation projection coupled to the terminal receiving portion. The anti-rotation projection is configured to be coupled to the battery. The anti-rotation projection extends along an axis that is parallel to a longitudinal axis of the battery clamp system. The battery clamp system includes a first flange coupled to the terminal receiving portion that extends along a first flange axis substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal axis. The battery clamp system includes a second flange coupled to the terminal receiving portion so as to be spaced apart from the first flange. The first flange is configured to cooperate with the second flange to couple the terminal receiving portion to the battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 12, 2022
    Date of Patent: July 23, 2024
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Andrew Hemphill, Mahantesh S. Parashetti, Lyall Kenneth Winger
  • Publication number: 20240243667
    Abstract: An energy storage system includes a plurality of batteries coupled in series, a plurality of first isolated DC-DC power converters each having first and second sides, a DC bus coupled to the second sides of the plurality of first isolated DC-DC power converters, and a second isolated DC-DC power converter coupled in parallel with the plurality of first isolated DC-DC power converters. Each of the first sides of the plurality of first isolated DC-DC power converters is coupled to at least one of the batteries. The second isolated DC-DC power converter includes a first side coupled to the plurality of batteries and a second side coupled to the DC bus. The second isolated DC-DC power converter is configured to mitigate a transient load condition on the DC bus.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 16, 2023
    Publication date: July 18, 2024
    Inventors: Mohamed Ahmed Kamel AHMED, Chandra S. Namuduri, Rashmi Prasad, Suresh Gopalakrishnan, Lyall Kenneth Winger
  • Patent number: 12034134
    Abstract: A battery system for a vehicle includes a battery tray having a base wall, a plurality of side walls, and a cover that collectively define a receiving zone. A vent includes an inlet and an outlet exposed to the battery receiving zone. A battery is supported by the base wall. A battery electronic controller (BEC) is arranged in the receiving zone and directly connected to the battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 17, 2021
    Date of Patent: July 9, 2024
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Lyall Kenneth Winger, Dave Gerard Rich, James Morrison, Suresh Gopalakrishnan, Chandra S. Namuduri
  • Publication number: 20240217460
    Abstract: Examples described herein provide a method for predicting electrical failures within a vehicle. The method includes selectively enabling and disabling an electrical load for the vehicle. The method further includes collecting operational data about the electrical load during the selectively enabling and disabling of the electrical load. The method further includes training the model based at least in part on the operational data to predict a failure associated with the electrical load or a wiring harness associated with the electrical load.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 4, 2023
    Publication date: July 4, 2024
    Inventors: Xinyu Du, Lyall Kenneth Winger, Infane Lowe, Suresh Gopalakrishnan
  • Publication number: 20240217365
    Abstract: A vehicle smart energy center includes an array of electronic fuses coupling a DC power bus to a plurality of loads and primary and supplemental electrical power sources. Electronic fuses self-diagnose health and report current, voltage and temperature data which is used by a smart energy center control module to manage the diagnostic, current, voltage and temperature data and electronic fuses for fault remediation whereby the vehicle remains operable through various smart energy center anomalies.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2023
    Publication date: July 4, 2024
    Inventors: James Morrison, Lyall Kenneth Winger, Xinyu Du, Infane Lowe
  • Patent number: 12017545
    Abstract: A vehicle, system, and method of providing electrical power to a vehicle. The electrical system includes a variable power source, a constant power source, a bus line connecting the variable power source to an electrical load of the vehicle, a switch between the bus line and the constant power source, and a processor. The processor is configured to monitor a voltage being supplied to the electrical load by the variable power source and to operate a fuse controller to close the switch between the bus line and the constant power source when the voltage being supplied to the electrical load drops below a first voltage threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2022
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2024
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Suresh Gopalakrishnan, Chandra S. Namuduri, Lyall Kenneth Winger, James M. Morrison
  • Publication number: 20240204464
    Abstract: An electrical connector is provided. The electrical connector includes a first housing having an outer surface and a second housing configured to receive the first housing, wherein the second housing includes an inner surface configured to contact the outer surface of the first housing. The electrical connector also includes a plurality of sensors configured to monitor a contact between the inner surface and the outer surface and a controller in communication with the plurality of sensors, wherein the controller is configured to determine a position of the first housing relative to the second housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2022
    Publication date: June 20, 2024
    Inventors: Infane Lowe, Lyall Kenneth Winger, Aaron B. Bloom, Xinyu Du, James Morrison
  • Publication number: 20240205671
    Abstract: A security system for an electronic device connected to a vehicle includes an electronic device. A first mating connector is one of integrated with the electronic device, and connected by conductors and the first mating connector to the electronic device. The first mating connector includes a security integrated circuit configured to perform authentication and a second mating connector. A host controller is connected by the second mating connector to the electronic device and the first mating connector to the security integrated circuit and the electronic device. The host controller is configured to communicate with the security integrated circuit to authenticate the electronic device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 19, 2022
    Publication date: June 20, 2024
    Inventors: Infane LOWE, Lyall Kenneth Winger
  • Patent number: 11970078
    Abstract: A system in a vehicle includes memory to store values obtained for a battery that supplies current to one or more loads. The values include battery state of charge. A processor obtains a measured battery current from a battery current sensor and a measured total current from a current sensor at a battery center that supplies the current directly to the one or more loads, obtain a generator current or a direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) converter current from the measured total current and the battery current, determine a maximum available current as a sum of a maximum available battery current and either the generator current or the DC-DC converter current, and stop a supply of the current to one or more of the one or more loads based on a result of a comparison of the maximum available current with current draw by the one or more loads.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 2, 2022
    Date of Patent: April 30, 2024
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Chandra S. Namuduri, Suresh Gopalakrishnan, Lyall Kenneth Winger
  • Publication number: 20240092220
    Abstract: An example method includes receiving a wakeup request from a device from a vehicle. The wakeup request indicates that the device desires to perform a task that consumes electrical power from a battery of the vehicle. The method further includes assigning a priority to the wakeup request. The method further includes queuing the wakeup request according to a wakeup schedule. The method further includes, responsive to a current time satisfying the wakeup schedule, performing the task based at least in part on the priority.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2022
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Applicant: GM Global Technology Operations LLC
    Inventors: Suresh Gopalakrishnan, Xinyu Du, Chandra S. Namuduri, Lyall Kenneth Winger, Gary W. Gantt, JR., Anwar Hossain, Kurt R. Garcia
  • Publication number: 20240092289
    Abstract: A vehicle, an electrical system of the vehicle and a method of operating the vehicle. The electrical system includes an electrical load and an energy center for distribution of power to the electrical load. The energy center includes a fuse cluster having a plurality of electronic fuses, and the electrical load is coupled to the energy center via the plurality of electronic fuses of the fuse cluster. A selected electronic fuse of the fuse cluster is configured to detect a fault at the selected electronic fuse, make itself a master fuse of the fuse cluster in response to detecting the fault and control an operation of the fuse cluster.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 15, 2022
    Publication date: March 21, 2024
    Inventors: James Morrison, Lyall Kenneth Winger, Suresh Gopalakrishnan
  • Publication number: 20240075846
    Abstract: A system in a vehicle includes memory to store values obtained for a battery that supplies current to one or more loads. The values include battery state of charge. A processor obtains a measured battery current from a battery current sensor and a measured total current from a current sensor at a battery center that supplies the current directly to the one or more loads, obtain a generator current or a direct current-to-direct current (DC-DC) converter current from the measured total current and the battery current, determine a maximum available current as a sum of a maximum available battery current and either the generator current or the DC-DC converter current, and stop a supply of the current to one or more of the one or more loads based on a result of a comparison of the maximum available current with current draw by the one or more loads.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 2, 2022
    Publication date: March 7, 2024
    Inventors: Chandra S. Namuduri, Suresh Gopalakrishnan, Lyall Kenneth Winger
  • Publication number: 20240063655
    Abstract: A vehicle, an electrical system of the vehicle and a method of operating the vehicle. The electrical system includes a battery, an electrical load that draws power from the battery, a switch between the battery and the electrical load, and a processor. The processor is configured to measure a power drawn from the battery by the electrical load and open the switch to disconnect the battery from the electrical load when the power drawn by the electrical load matches a selected criterion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2022
    Publication date: February 22, 2024
    Inventors: Suresh Gopalakrishnan, Chandra S. Namuduri, Norman K. Bucknor, Lyall Kenneth Winger, James Morrison, David W. Walters
  • Publication number: 20240063628
    Abstract: A vehicle, arc fault protection device of the vehicle and a method for mitigating an arc fault in an electrical system of the vehicle. The arc fault protection device includes a sensor, a switch, and a processor. The sensor is used for measuring a current in an electrical system. The processor is configured to determine a precursor phase of an arc fault from the current, wherein the precursor phase indicates an onset of an arc flash phase of the arc fault. The processor opens the switch to mitigate the arc fault during the arc flash phase.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 16, 2022
    Publication date: February 22, 2024
    Inventors: Suresh Gopalakrishnan, Muhammad Hussain Alvi, Chandra S. Namuduri, Lyall Kenneth Winger, James Morrison, Xinyu Du
  • Publication number: 20240051421
    Abstract: A method is provided that includes determining whether to perform a load shed operation for a vehicle. The method further includes responsive to determining to perform the load shed operation, issuing a command to a device to perform the load shed operation. The method further includes determining whether the device performed the load shed operation. The method further includes responsive to determining that the device failed to perform the load shed operation, opening a relay associated with the device to prevent power from being delivered to the device.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2022
    Publication date: February 15, 2024
    Inventors: Xinyu Du, Infane Lowe, Chandra S. Namuduri, Lyall Kenneth Winger, Jonathan O. Conell
  • Publication number: 20240053404
    Abstract: A low voltage system of a vehicle having a battery, one of a generator and an accessory power module (APM), one or more low voltage load, and a smart energy center. The smart energy center having a first electronic fuse configured to selectively connect the smart energy center to the battery, a second electronic fuse configured to selectively connect the smart energy center to the one of the generator and the APM, and a third electronic fuse configured to selectively connect the smart energy center to the one or more low voltage load. The smart energy center further comprising a plurality of sensors and a controller configured to selectively activate and deactivate the first electronic fuse, the second electronic fuse, and the third electronic fuse based at least in part on data received from the plurality of sensors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 9, 2022
    Publication date: February 15, 2024
    Inventors: Xinyu Du, Lyall Kenneth Winger, Infane Lowe, Suresh Gopalakrishnan
  • Patent number: 11865945
    Abstract: A rechargeable energy storage system may include a series arrangement of a plurality of batteries coupled to a first DC bus at a first DC voltage. A DC to DC converter may include a multi-input DC input stage coupled to a multi-output DC output stage. The multi-input DC input stage may include multiple distributed DC inputs, each distributed DC input being coupled to a respective one of the plurality of batteries. The multi-output DC output stage may include multiple aggregated DC outputs. At least one controllable switch may couple one or more of the multiple aggregated DC outputs to one or more other DC buses.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 14, 2022
    Date of Patent: January 9, 2024
    Assignee: GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC
    Inventors: Mohamed Kamel, Chandra S. Namuduri, Rashmi Prasad, Muhammad Hussain Alvi, Lyall Kenneth Winger