Patents by Inventor Markus EKSTRÖM

Markus EKSTRÖM 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: 11724686
    Abstract: A method of reducing cold start emissions in a series mode hybrid electric vehicle, including an internal combustion engine with an exhaust duct having a catalyst and a downstream oxygen sensor, an output of the combustion engine being connected to an electric generator with a power output of at least 10 kW that is connected to an electric motor which is coupled to a drive shaft of two or more wheels. The method includes detecting a cold start condition, injecting fuel into the engine such that combustion at a lambda value, ?, is achieved for which ?>1, running the engine at a speed of 1000 rpm or higher, determining if the efficiency of the catalyst reaches a first level, setting ? to about 1 after the predetermined efficiency level of the catalyst has been reached, and reducing the speed to working conditions when the catalyst efficiency reaches a second level.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2022
    Date of Patent: August 15, 2023
    Assignee: Volvo Car Corporation
    Inventors: Göran Almkvist, Markus Ekström
  • Publication number: 20230173948
    Abstract: A battery control assembly for a battery system. The battery control assembly includes a plurality of cell-level control units, each including a cell-level switching unit being operable as a cell-level inverter. The plurality of cell-level control units are arranged in three control unit strings and the cell-level control units of each control unit string are electrically connected in series. First ends of each control unit string are electrically connected to a corresponding AC charging terminal. Second ends of the control unit strings are electrically connected in series via a first end switch and a second end switch. Moreover, at least one of the control unit strings includes an inner connection terminal. Furthermore, an electric drivetrain for an electric vehicle having such a battery control assembly is presented.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 5, 2022
    Publication date: June 8, 2023
    Inventors: Torbjorn LARSSON, Jonas FORSSELL, Robert ERIKSSON, Nikitas SIDIROPOULOS, Markus EKSTRÖM, Narendar Rao Gannamaneni, Jonas BJÖRKHOLTZ, Yafan ZHANG
  • Publication number: 20230121595
    Abstract: Systems, devices, computer-implemented methods, and/or computer program products that can facilitate an intelligent battery cell are addressed. In one example, a device can comprise: active battery cell material; and an internal circuit coupled to the active battery cell material and comprising: a circuit board; two alternating current (AC) power points; two isolated direct current (DC) power points; and a controller that can operate one or more switches on an H-bridge circuit to disconnect the device from a main battery in a bypass mode. In another example, a smart cell modulator can comprise: a set of smart battery cells; and a controller that can operate to selectively engage a subset of the smart battery cells to enable load sharing, distributed feedback control, circulate load across one or more smart battery cells of the set of smart battery cells to increase torque, and to enable speed requests.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2022
    Publication date: April 20, 2023
    Inventor: Markus Ekström
  • Publication number: 20230093714
    Abstract: Systems, devices, computer-implemented methods, and/or computer program products that can facilitate an intelligent battery cell are addressed. In one example, a device can comprise: active battery cell material; and an internal circuit coupled to the active battery cell material and comprising: a circuit board; two alternating current (AC) power points; two isolated direct current (DC) power points; and a controller that can operate one or more switches on an H-bridge circuit to disconnect the device from a main battery in a bypass mode. In another example, a smart cell modulator can comprise: a set of smart battery cells; and a controller that can operate to selectively engage a subset of the smart battery cells to enable load sharing, distributed feedback control, circulate load across one or more smart battery cells of the set of smart battery cells to increase torque, and to enable speed requests.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2022
    Publication date: March 23, 2023
    Inventor: Markus Ekström
  • Publication number: 20230087469
    Abstract: Systems, devices, computer-implemented methods, and/or computer program products that can facilitate an intelligent battery cell are addressed. In one example, a device can comprise: active battery cell material; and an internal circuit coupled to the active battery cell material and comprising: a circuit board; two alternating current (AC) power points; two isolated direct current (DC) power points; and a controller that can operate one or more switches on an H-bridge circuit to disconnect the device from a main battery in a bypass mode. In another example, a smart cell modulator can comprise: a set of smart battery cells; and a controller that can operate to selectively engage a subset of the smart battery cells to enable load sharing, distributed feedback control, circulate load across one or more smart battery cells of the set of smart battery cells to increase torque, and to enable speed requests.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2022
    Publication date: March 23, 2023
    Inventor: Markus Ekström
  • Publication number: 20230091529
    Abstract: Systems, devices, computer-implemented methods, and/or computer program products that can facilitate an intelligent battery cell are addressed. In one example, a device can comprise: active battery cell material; and an internal circuit coupled to the active battery cell material and comprising: a circuit board; two alternating current (AC) power points; two isolated direct current (DC) power points; and a controller that can operate one or more switches on an H-bridge circuit to disconnect the device from a main battery in a bypass mode. In another example, a smart cell modulator can comprise: a set of smart battery cells; and a controller that can operate to selectively engage a subset of the smart battery cells to enable load sharing, distributed feedback control, circulate load across one or more smart battery cells of the set of smart battery cells to increase torque, and to enable speed requests.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2022
    Publication date: March 23, 2023
    Inventor: Markus Ekström
  • Publication number: 20230093000
    Abstract: Systems, devices, computer-implemented methods, and/or computer program products that can facilitate an intelligent battery cell are addressed. In one example, a device can comprise: active battery cell material; and an internal circuit coupled to the active battery cell material and comprising: a circuit board; two alternating current (AC) power points; two isolated direct current (DC) power points; and a controller that can operate one or more switches on an H-bridge circuit to disconnect the device from a main battery in a bypass mode. In another example, a smart cell modulator can comprise: a set of smart battery cells; and a controller that can operate to selectively engage a subset of the smart battery cells to enable load sharing, distributed feedback control, circulate load across one or more smart battery cells of the set of smart battery cells to increase torque, and to enable speed requests.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 16, 2022
    Publication date: March 23, 2023
    Inventor: Markus Ekström
  • Publication number: 20220348186
    Abstract: A method of reducing cold start emissions in a series mode hybrid electric vehicle, including an internal combustion engine with an exhaust duct having a catalyst and a downstream oxygen sensor, an output of the combustion engine being connected to an electric generator with a power output of at least 10 kW that is connected to an electric motor which is coupled to a drive shaft of two or more wheels. The method includes detecting a cold start condition, injecting fuel into the engine such that combustion at a lambda value, ?, is achieved for which ?>1, running the engine at a speed of 1000 rpm or higher, determining if the efficiency of the catalyst reaches a first level, setting ? to about 1 after the predetermined efficiency level of the catalyst has been reached, and reducing the speed to working conditions when the catalyst efficiency reaches a second level.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 26, 2022
    Publication date: November 3, 2022
    Inventors: Göran Almkvist, Markus Ekström
  • Publication number: 20220194380
    Abstract: A method for braking a hybrid electric vehicle, a hybrid electric vehicle and a computer program element. The method includes actuating braking with a brake energy, starting to regenerate the brake energy and charging a battery system with the regenerated brake energy, receiving a state of charge of the battery system, redirecting the regenerated brake energy into an integrated starter generator in case of a full or limited charging of the battery system, and activating the integrated starter generator to rotate an internal combustion engine.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 7, 2021
    Publication date: June 23, 2022
    Inventors: Göran ALMKVIST, Jonas BJÖRKHOLTZ, Markus EKSTRÖM, Andreas ERIKSSON
  • Publication number: 20220032902
    Abstract: A system for controlling an operating point of a power source for a propulsive e-machine in a hybrid electric vehicle, including: a power train including a power source and at least one propulsive e-machine, wherein the power source includes an integrated starter generator and an internal combustion engine; at least one desired operating point for the power source including at least one characteristic parameter; an operating point component configured to query the at least one desired operating point and to selectively distribute the control of the at least one desired operating point to a control of the internal combustion engine or to a control of the integrated starter generator control.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2021
    Publication date: February 3, 2022
    Inventors: Andreas ERIKSSON, Markus EKSTRÖM, Göran ALMKVIST, Jonas BJÖRKHOLTZ