Patents by Inventor Thomas ZENNER

Thomas ZENNER 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: 20190225110
    Abstract: This disclosure relates to an assembly that cools a traction battery of a vehicle, in particular a hybrid electric vehicle. The assembly can include at least one fuel tank, and at least one traction battery that is arranged outside the fuel tank and is thermally connected to the fuel tank. The assembly can further include at least one fuel pump that is arranged in the fuel tank and at least one fuel line that is connected and/or can be connected to a pressure side of the fuel pump. A connection portion of the fuel tank is thermally connected to the traction battery. Fuel can be used to cool the connection portion, which cools the traction battery.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2019
    Publication date: July 25, 2019
    Inventors: Thomas Zenner, Caroline Born, Daniel Kok
  • Publication number: 20190225112
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to an assembly for a vehicle, in particular for a hybrid electric vehicle. The assembly includes at least one fuel tank having the form of a saddle tank. The assembly further includes at least one traction battery that is arranged outside the fuel tank and is thermally connected to the fuel tank, and at least one fuel pump arranged in the fuel tank. The fuel pump can convey a fuel from within the fuel tank to an internal-combustion engine of the hybrid electric vehicle. To provide a cooling system for the traction battery, the traction battery can be thermally connected to an active tank portion of the fuel tank, in which the fuel pump is arranged. The traction battery can be connected to the active tank portion via a bridge portion of the fuel tank, which is connected in a communicating manner to a passive tank portion of the fuel tank. Fuel in the passive tank portion can be conveyed into the active tank portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2019
    Publication date: July 25, 2019
    Inventors: Thomas Zenner, Daniel Kok, Caroline Born
  • Publication number: 20190225051
    Abstract: A vehicle includes a passenger cabin, an inverter, and a coolant system having conduit arranged to circulate coolant through the inverter and an evaporator. A refrigerant system includes a condenser and conduit arranged to circulate refrigerant through the condenser and through the evaporator to absorb heat generated by the inverter. A climate control system is arranged to circulate an airstream through the condenser and into the cabin to heat the cabin.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2018
    Publication date: July 25, 2019
    Inventors: Thomas ZENNER, Daniel Benjamin KOK, Kenneth J. JACKSON, Serdar Hakki YONAK
  • Publication number: 20190225052
    Abstract: A vehicle includes an inverter, a climate control system, and a coolant system. The climate control system includes a housing, and a heater core and an electric heater disposed within the housing. The coolant system includes conduit arranged to circulate coolant through the inverter and the heater core. The inverter is disposed upstream of the heater core.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 19, 2018
    Publication date: July 25, 2019
    Inventors: Thomas ZENNER, Daniel Benjamin KOK, Kenneth J. Jackson, Serdar Hakki YONAK
  • Publication number: 20190225111
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to an assembly that cools a traction battery of a vehicle, in particular a hybrid electric vehicle. The assembly can include at least one fuel tank and at least one traction battery that is arranged outside the fuel tank and is thermally connected to the fuel tank. The assembly can further include at least one cooling rib that is arranged inside the fuel tank. The cooling rib can be thermally connected to a connection portion of the fuel tank, which is thermally connected to the traction battery and is constructed in such a manner that it extends almost completely or completely as far as a base wall portion of the fuel tank. The fuel tank can be arranged to be lower than the connection portion.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 23, 2019
    Publication date: July 25, 2019
    Inventors: Thomas Zenner, Daniel Kok, Caroline Born
  • Publication number: 20190217719
    Abstract: An electrified vehicle according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a battery including a first strand of cells and a second strand of cells, an electric machine selectively powered by the battery, and at least one auxiliary component selectively powered by the battery. The battery is configurable such that the at least one auxiliary component is able to draw power from the first strand of cells but not the second strand of cells. A method is also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 12, 2018
    Publication date: July 18, 2019
    Inventors: Thomas Zenner, Daniel Benjamin Kok
  • Patent number: 10333338
    Abstract: An exemplary charging method includes charging a storage battery of a mule vehicle as a tow vehicle tows the mule vehicle to a stranded vehicle. The storage battery configured to be electrically coupled to a traction battery of an electrified vehicle to charge the traction battery. An exemplary charging assembly includes a mule vehicle. A storage battery of the mule vehicle charges as the mule vehicle is towed to a stranded vehicle. The storage battery is configured to be electrically coupled to a traction battery of the electrified vehicle to charge the traction battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2017
    Date of Patent: June 25, 2019
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas Zenner, Mazen Hammoud, Kevin Layden
  • Patent number: 10293698
    Abstract: An exemplary aspect of the present disclosure relates to an electrified vehicle including, among other things, a vehicle-mounted battery and a modular battery. The modular battery is selectively removable from the vehicle, and is configured to be charged at a location remote from the vehicle. The vehicle is selectively powered by at least one of the modular battery and the vehicle-mounted battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 10, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 21, 2019
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas Zenner, Mazen Hammoud, Steve F. Chorian
  • Publication number: 20190123578
    Abstract: An exemplary charging method includes charging a storage battery of a mule vehicle as a tow vehicle tows the mule vehicle to a stranded vehicle. The storage battery configured to be electrically coupled to a traction battery of an electrified vehicle to charge the traction battery. An exemplary charging assembly includes a mule vehicle. A storage battery of the mule vehicle charges as the mule vehicle is towed to a stranded vehicle. The storage battery is configured to be electrically coupled to a traction battery of the electrified vehicle to charge the traction battery.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 23, 2017
    Publication date: April 25, 2019
    Inventors: Thomas Zenner, Mazen Hammoud, Kevin Layden
  • Publication number: 20190097283
    Abstract: A system and method for heating or cooling a battery include a controller and a tempering circuit containing an auxiliary medium configured to exchange heat with a container having a latent heat storage medium, and a vehicle traction battery, a pump configured to circulate the auxiliary medium, and an activation device having a sealing element moveable to selectively expose a nucleation surface to the latent heat storage medium to trigger a phase change process and exchange heat with the auxiliary medium.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2018
    Publication date: March 28, 2019
    Applicant: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas ZENNER, Mazen HAMMOUD, Daniel Benjamin KOK
  • Patent number: 10239416
    Abstract: A method includes controlling an electrified vehicle by modifying a state of charge (SOC) window associated with an energy storage device of the electrified vehicle in response to a reverse driving event or a trailer towing event.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 2016
    Date of Patent: March 26, 2019
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas Zenner, Daniel Benjamin Kok, Derek Hartl
  • Publication number: 20190040782
    Abstract: A exhaust-gas heat management system includes a catalytic converter in the exhaust-gas train of an internal-combustion engine, a cover enclosing the catalytic converter, and thereby realizing a cavity for holding a latent-heat storage PCM, at least two fluid connections between the cavity and the collecting vessel, and a pump device for activating and deactivating a PCM circuit between the cavity and the collecting vessel by means of the fluid connections. A method comprises determining an operating state of the internal combustion engine, determining the catalytic converter temperature, determining the PCM temperature, activating the PCM circuit if the PCM temperature is above a phase transition temperature of the PCM, and the internal combustion engine is in a switched-on operating state or the internal combustion engine is in a switched-off operating state and the catalytic converter temperature is below a light-off temperature of the catalytic converter.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 20, 2018
    Publication date: February 7, 2019
    Inventors: Thomas Zenner, Martin Wirth, Lars Kaufmann, Mehmet Toeremis, Daniel Benjamin Kok
  • Publication number: 20190009760
    Abstract: An operating method for an electrified motor vehicle having an electric drive while being coupled to a towing vehicle by a connecting device in such a manner that the pulling forces and pushing forces between the vehicles are transmitted. The towing vehicle may communicate data to the motor vehicle used to control the motor vehicle to provide a controlled force exerted on the towing vehicle by the motor vehicle during towing. The controlled force exerted on the towing vehicle may vary based on the prevailing force direction between the vehicles, acceleration, and battery state of charge (SOC) of the motor vehicle. The controlled force may include a driving force or a braking force. The braking force may be provided by regenerative braking of the motor vehicle and/or by friction braking of the motor vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 25, 2018
    Publication date: January 10, 2019
    Applicant: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas ZENNER, Mazen HAMMOUD
  • Patent number: 10150371
    Abstract: A vehicle system includes a controller that is programmed to, in response to a speed differential between the vehicle and a forward detected object, decelerate the vehicle at a first rate during a first period via regenerative braking alone and decelerate the vehicle at a second rate during a second period, following the first period, to reduce a distance to the forward detected object from an initial distance to a minimum distance.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2016
    Date of Patent: December 11, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies,LLC
    Inventors: Thomas Zenner, Daniel Benjamin Kok, Jimmy Kapadia
  • Patent number: 10035558
    Abstract: The invention relates to a hybrid bicycle that is driven by muscle power and electrical energy, in particular a series hybrid bicycle comprising a generator whose torque can be set by a control device and dependent upon the construction is limited to a maximum generator torque, and also pedals that are connected to the generator so as to apply a pedal torque to the generator by a rider so as to drive the generator, and also a drive motor that is connected to a drive wheel of the bicycle so as to drive the drive wheel, and also a battery for supplying the drive motor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 11, 2016
    Date of Patent: July 31, 2018
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Thomas Zenner, Thomas Birkenbeil
  • Publication number: 20180118034
    Abstract: A vehicle system includes a controller that is programmed to, in response to a speed differential between the vehicle and a forward detected object, decelerate the vehicle at a first rate during a first period via regenerative braking alone and decelerate the vehicle at a second rate during a second period, following the first period, to reduce a distance to the forward detected object from an initial distance to a minimum distance.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 3, 2016
    Publication date: May 3, 2018
    Inventors: Thomas ZENNER, Daniel Benjamin KOK, Jimmy KAPADIA
  • Publication number: 20170368955
    Abstract: A method includes controlling an electrified vehicle by modifying a state of charge (SOC) window associated with an energy storage device of the electrified vehicle in response to a reverse driving event or a trailer towing event.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 22, 2016
    Publication date: December 28, 2017
    Inventors: Thomas ZENNER, Daniel Benjamin Kok, Derek Hartl
  • Publication number: 20170043670
    Abstract: An exemplary aspect of the present disclosure relates to an electrified vehicle including, among other things, a vehicle-mounted battery and a modular battery. The modular battery is selectively removable from the vehicle, and is configured to be charged at a location remote from the vehicle. The vehicle is selectively powered by at least one of the modular battery and the vehicle-mounted battery.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2015
    Publication date: February 16, 2017
    Inventors: Thomas Zenner, Mazen Hammoud, Steve F. Chorian
  • Publication number: 20170008601
    Abstract: The invention relates to a hybrid bicycle that is driven by means of muscle power and electrical energy, in particular a series hybrid bicycle comprising a generator whose torque can be set by means of a control device and dependent upon the construction is limited to a maximum generator torque, and also pedals that are connected to the generator so as to apply a pedal torque to the generator by means of a rider so as to drive the generator, and also a drive motor that is connected to a drive wheel of the bicycle so as to drive the drive wheel, and also a battery for supplying the drive motor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 11, 2016
    Publication date: January 12, 2017
    Inventors: Thomas ZENNER, Thomas BIRKENBEIL