Patents by Inventor Wanfeng LI

Wanfeng LI 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: 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: 11920224
    Abstract: A magnet structure includes columnar grains of rare earth permanent magnet phase aligned in a same direction and arranged to form bulk anisotropic rare earth alloy magnet having a boundary defined by opposite ends of the columnar grains and lacking triple junction regions, and rare earth alloy diffused onto opposite ends of the bulk anisotropic rare earth alloy magnet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2022
    Date of Patent: March 5, 2024
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Wanfeng Li, Feng Liang, Michael W. Degner
  • 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
  • Publication number: 20240055168
    Abstract: Magnets having various portions of different densities and resistivities are disclosed. In a refinement, the various portions may have the same composition but different physical structures. Unique dies may be used to during processing, such as during sintering to manufacture the magnets. The die may include conductive and non-conductive surfaces that contact the green magnetic powder mixture during sintering such that the electrical current applied to the magnetic powder mixture is managed by the conductive and non-conductive surfaces to provide unique and complex magnets. Methods of manufacturing the magnets with the dies such as field assisted sintering, i.e., spark plasma sintering, are also disclosed.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 10, 2022
    Publication date: February 15, 2024
    Inventors: Wanfeng Li, Michael W. Degner
  • Publication number: 20230412010
    Abstract: The disclosure relates to a method for producing a rotor element for a rotor of an electric machine. The method includes screen printing at least one permanent magnetic material and a non-permanent magnetic material to form the rotor element, simultaneously sintering the permanent magnetic material and the non-permanent magnetic material, and magnetizing the permanent magnetic material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 16, 2023
    Publication date: December 21, 2023
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Raphael Koch, Wanfeng Li
  • Publication number: 20230290546
    Abstract: A permanent magnet formed by additively manufacturing magnetic phases and buffer phases is disclosed. The buffer phase(s) may improve performance, enhance mechanical properties and allow the magnet to better tolerate stresses such that defects such as cracking do not occur or are less likely to occur. The buffer phase may be a magnetic or non-magnetic material.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 27, 2022
    Publication date: September 14, 2023
    Inventors: Wanfeng Li, Chuanbing Rong, Michael W. Degner
  • Publication number: 20230253843
    Abstract: A rotor for an electric machine includes a core comprised of stacked laminations that define pockets between a hub portion and a pole portion. Each of the pockets are configured to receive magnetic material and define center cavities between regions of magnetic material to eliminate a flux leakage path between the magnetic materials. A cured mixture including an epoxy and a magnetic powder is disposed within the center cavities. The magnetic material may include sintered magnets and a cured mixture.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 21, 2023
    Publication date: August 10, 2023
    Inventors: Franco Leonardi, Chuanbing Rong, Chun Tang, Wanfeng Li, Michael W. Degner
  • Publication number: 20230245811
    Abstract: A power inductor includes a housing and a magnetic core disposed in the housing. The core includes a first segment and a second segment spaced apart from each other to define a gap. The first and second segments are supported in the housing such that they are movable relative to each other to increase and decrease the size of the gap. A passive actuator is disposed in the housing and is configured to move the second segment relative to the first segment to increase and decrease the size of the gap. The passive actuator includes a shape-memory alloy configured to expand as temperature of the inductor increases to urge the first and second segments apart to increase the gap and to contract as the temperature decreases so that the first and second segments move towards each other to decrease the gap.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 7, 2023
    Publication date: August 3, 2023
    Inventors: Myung Ki SUNG, Wanfeng LI, Leyi ZHU
  • Publication number: 20230187130
    Abstract: Permanent magnets and methods of making the same are disclosed herein. The permanent magnets include a 3D-printed, i.e., additively manufactured, framework and an infiltrate such that there is a discrete magnetic phase and a discrete non-magnetic phase or two discrete magnetic phases. The infiltrate may provide superior strength, elasticity or magnetic properties.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 10, 2021
    Publication date: June 15, 2023
    Inventors: Wanfeng Li, Michael W. Degner
  • Publication number: 20230170120
    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 30, 2021
    Publication date: June 1, 2023
    Inventors: Wanfeng Li, Franco Leonardi, Michael W. Degner
  • Patent number: 11637467
    Abstract: A rotor for an electric machine includes a core comprised of stacked laminations that define pockets between a hub portion and a pole portion. Each of the pockets are configured to receive magnetic material and define center cavities between regions of magnetic material to eliminate a flux leakage path between the magnetic materials. A cured mixture including an epoxy and a magnetic powder is disposed within the center cavities. The magnetic material may include sintered magnets and a cured mixture.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2023
    Assignee: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
    Inventors: Franco Leonardi, Chuanbing Rong, Chun Tang, Wanfeng Li, Michael W. Degner
  • Patent number: 11631518
    Abstract: A power inductor includes a housing and a magnetic core disposed in the housing. The core includes a first segment and a second segment spaced apart from each other to define a gap. The first and second segments are supported in the housing such that the they are movable relative to each other to increase and decrease the size of the gap. A fluid having a positive thermal expansion coefficient is disposed in the housing such that expansion and contraction of the fluid due to change in temperature increases and decreases the gap, respectively.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 29, 2019
    Date of Patent: April 18, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Myung Ki Sung, Wanfeng Li, Leyi Zhu
  • Patent number: 11610718
    Abstract: An inductor that is configured to store energy in a magnetic field includes a wire and a core. The wire is configured to deliver electrical current to the inductor to generate the magnetic field. The core is disposed radially about the wire. The core comprises magnetic particles that are suspended in a non-magnetic matrix. The magnetic particles are arranged such that a magnetic permeability of the core increases in a direction that extends radially outward from the wire along a cross-sectional area of the magnetic core from a first region that is adjacent to the wire to a second region that is adjacent to an outer periphery of the magnetic core.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 23, 2019
    Date of Patent: March 21, 2023
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Wanfeng Li, Chuanbing Rong, Michael W. Degner
  • Patent number: 11417462
    Abstract: A method of forming an annealed magnet includes positioning a magnetizing array ring concentrically with a ring of bulk magnetic material to form an assembly, the magnetizing array ring having a magnetic field defining directions for orienting grains of the ring of bulk magnetic material, placing the assembly in a furnace, and operating the furnace to anneal the ring of bulk magnetic material and grow the grains in the directions. A magnetic array assembly includes a furnace; and an assembly including (i) a ring of bulk magnetic material having grains and (ii) a magnetizing array ring concentric with the ring of bulk magnetic material, and having a magnetic field defining directions for orienting the grains during growth thereof in a presence of heat from the furnace.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 17, 2019
    Date of Patent: August 16, 2022
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies LLC
    Inventors: Michael W. Degner, Wanfeng Li, Franco Leonardi
  • Publication number: 20220130607
    Abstract: A magnet structure includes columnar grains of rare earth permanent magnet phase aligned in a same direction and arranged to form bulk anisotropic rare earth alloy magnet having a boundary defined by opposite ends of the columnar grains and lacking triple junction regions, and rare earth alloy diffused onto opposite ends of the bulk anisotropic rare earth alloy magnet.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 10, 2022
    Publication date: April 28, 2022
    Inventors: Wanfeng Li, Feng Liang, Michael W. Degner
  • Patent number: 11232903
    Abstract: A method includes depositing a layer of alloy particles including rare earth permanent magnet phase above a substrate, laser scanning the layer while cooling the substrate to melt the particles, selectively initiate crystal nucleation, and promote columnar grain growth in a same direction as an easy axis of the rare earth permanent magnet phase. The method also includes repeating the depositing and scanning to form bulk anisotropic rare earth alloy magnet with aligned columnar grains.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2018
    Date of Patent: January 25, 2022
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Wanfeng Li, Feng Liang, Michael W. Degner
  • Publication number: 20210335539
    Abstract: A method of forming a magnet is provided. The method includes disposing an anisotropic magnetic powder and a binder within a bed, the anisotropic magnetic powder having a defined magnetization direction. An energy beam selectively melts the binder such that the anisotropic magnetic powder forms a permanent magnet with the defined magnetization direction. The energy beam is a laser beam, a microwave beam and the like.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 9, 2021
    Publication date: October 28, 2021
    Applicant: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Michael W. Degner, Wanfeng Li
  • Publication number: 20210225586
    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: Application
    Filed: January 17, 2020
    Publication date: July 22, 2021
    Inventors: Wanfeng LI, Chuanbing RONG, Franco LEONARDI, Michael W. DEGNER
  • Patent number: 11043319
    Abstract: A method of increasing volume ratio of magnetic particles in a MnBi alloy includes depositing a MnBi alloy powder containing magnetic particles and non-magnetic particles on a sloped surface having a magnetic field acted thereupon. The method further includes collecting falling non-magnetic particles while separated magnetic particles are magnetically retained on the sloped surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: June 22, 2021
    Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
    Inventors: Wanfeng Li, Feng Liang