Patents by Inventor Yifan Tang

Yifan Tang 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: 10447195
    Abstract: A safety system for an electric motor controller is provided. The safety system includes a torque safety monitor having a first processor distinct from a second processor of a main motor controller. The first processor is configured to one of decrease or shut down AC (alternating current) power, sent from a DC/AC (direct current to alternating current) inverter to an electric motor, in response to an estimated torque of the electric motor differing from a commanded torque associated with the main motor controller by more than a set amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 23, 2013
    Date of Patent: October 15, 2019
    Assignee: Atieva, Inc.
    Inventor: Yifan Tang
  • Patent number: 10431811
    Abstract: Described is a method to form an anode for a battery pack to power an electric vehicle. The method can include forming a powder mix of a carbonaceous material and a conductive additive. The powder mix can be divided into portions and iteratively added to a carboxymethyl cellulose solution to generate a slurry. The slurry can be dispensed onto a face of a conductive film. Also described is a battery cell for a battery pack to power an electric vehicle. The battery cell can have a housing and at least one anode coupled with the housing. Each anode can have a conductive film forming the anode surface. Each anode can have a coating disposed on the conductive film. The coating can have an area loading of between 12 mg/cm2 and 18 mg/cm2 and can be between 95% and 99% by weight of a carbonaceous material and a conductive additive.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 31, 2018
    Date of Patent: October 1, 2019
    Assignee: SF MOTORS, INC.
    Inventors: Gang Yang, Ying Liu, Yifan Tang
  • Publication number: 20190296282
    Abstract: Provided herein are battery packs for electric vehicles. A battery pack can include a housing having cavities. The battery pack can include electrode structures having a first tab terminal and a second tab terminal. A cover can be disposed over the housing. The cover can include first junction connectors extending between a first surface of the cover and a second surface of the cover. The first tab terminal of each electrode structure can be welded to respective first junction connectors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 14, 2018
    Publication date: September 26, 2019
    Inventors: Ying Liu, Derek Nathan Wong, Chien-Fan Chen, Yifan Tang
  • Publication number: 20190296274
    Abstract: Provided herein are a battery cell of a battery pack to power electric vehicles. The battery cell can include a housing. The housing can define an inner region. An electrolyte can be disposed in the inner region defined by the housing. The battery cell can include a lid. A gasket can couple the lid with the first end of the housing to seal the battery cell. The gasket can include a first gasket surface and a second gasket surface. The first end of the housing can have a crimped edge disposed about the first gasket surface to couple the gasket with the first end of the housing and positon the second gasket surface adjacent to the electrolyte. The crimped edge can have a first crimped surface having a predetermined pattern for wire bonding and a second crimped surface disposed adjacent to the first gasket surface.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 5, 2018
    Publication date: September 26, 2019
    Inventors: Yifan Tang, Chien-Fan Chen, Ying Liu
  • Publication number: 20190296656
    Abstract: Provided herein is a power converter component to power a drive unit of an electric vehicle drive system. The power converter component includes an inverter module formed having three half-bridge modules arranged in a triplet configuration for electric vehicle drive systems. Positive inputs, negative inputs, and output terminals of the different half-bridge inverter modules are aligned with each other. The inverter module includes a positive bus-bar coupled with the positive inputs and a negative bus-bar coupled with the negative inputs of the half-bridge inverter modules. The positive bus-bar is positioned adjacent to and parallel with the negative bus-bar. The inverter module can be coupled with a drive train unit of the electric vehicle and provide three phase voltages to the drive train unit. Each of the half bridge modules can generate a single phase voltage and three half-bridge modules arranged in a triplet configuration can provide three phase voltages.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2018
    Publication date: September 26, 2019
    Inventors: Nathan Chung, Jinzhu Li, Kangwei Mao, Colin Haag, Zhong Nie, Duanyang Wang, Yifan Tang
  • Publication number: 20190296270
    Abstract: A battery cell for an electric vehicle battery pack can include a housing and a gasket. The housing can define a sidewall of the battery cell that extends between an open end of the housing and a closed end of the housing. The open end of the housing can include an uneven rim pattern having a plurality of peak regions and a plurality of valley regions to define a plurality of tabs. The plurality of peak regions can engage the gasket to seal the housing with the gasket. Each of the plurality of tabs can define a respective flat crimped area. Each flat crimped area can have a surface area between one square millimeter and five square millimeters. At least one of the flat crimped areas can provide a surface for bonding with a wire.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2018
    Publication date: September 26, 2019
    Inventors: Ying Liu, Kent Wing Kin Chung, Scott Quinlan Freeman Monismith, Jeremy Andrew Elsberry, Yifan Tang
  • Publication number: 20190296273
    Abstract: Provided herein is a battery cell of a battery pack to power an electric vehicle. The battery cell can include a housing having a body region and a head region. The housing can define an inner region. The head region can include an indentation. An electrolyte can be disposed within the inner region of the housing. A lid can include a positive lid portion, a negative lid portion, and a first isolation layer between the positive lid portion and the negative lid portion. The negative lid portion can include a crimped edge. The crimped edge can couple with the indentation of the head region of the housing.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 5, 2018
    Publication date: September 26, 2019
    Inventors: Yifan Tang, Chien-Fan Chen, Ying Liu
  • Publication number: 20190296405
    Abstract: Provided herein are battery cells for battery packs in electric vehicles. The battery cell can include a housing having a first end, a second end, and an inner surface. The housing can define an inner region and an electrolyte can be disposed in the inner region of the housing. A gasket can couple a lid with the first end of the housing to seal the battery cell. The inner surface can include a recess and a groove. The groove can form a path from the recess to an egress point on the first end of the housing. A pressure sensor can be disposed in the recess. The pressure sensor can couple with a pressure sensor wire disposed in the groove and the pressure sensor wire can extend from the recess and past the egress point on the first end of the housing to provide sensed pressure information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2018
    Publication date: September 26, 2019
    Inventors: Yifan Tang, Chien-Fan Chen, Ying Liu
  • Publication number: 20190296269
    Abstract: Provided herein are a battery cell of a battery pack for electric vehicles. A housing for the battery cell can have a body and a head region. The body region can include an electrolyte, anode, and cathode. The battery cell can include a first sealing element disposed in an opening of the head region. The first sealing element can define two slots for disposing a second sealing element and a third sealing element respectively. A first conductive contact for a positive terminal coupled to the cathode can be disposed in the second sealing element. A second conductive contact for a negative terminal coupled to the anode can be disposed in the third sealing element. A first protector element disposed below the second sealing element can react to a first failure condition. A second protector element disposed below the third sealing element can react to a second failure condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 8, 2018
    Publication date: September 26, 2019
    Inventors: Scott Quinlan Freeman Monismith, Brennan Campbell, Ying Liu, Yifan Tang
  • Publication number: 20190296284
    Abstract: Provided herein are battery packs for electric vehicles. A battery pack can include a housing having cavities. The battery pack can include electrode structures having a first tab terminal and a second tab terminal. A cover can be disposed over the housing. The cover can include first junction connectors extending between a first surface of the cover and a second surface of the cover. The first tab terminal of each electrode structure can be welded to respective first junction connectors.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 21, 2018
    Publication date: September 26, 2019
    Inventors: Ying Liu, Derek Nathan Wong, Chien-Fan Chen, Yifan Tang
  • Publication number: 20190296657
    Abstract: Provided herein is a power converter component to power a drive unit of an electric vehicle drive system. The power converter component includes an inverter module formed having three half-bridge modules arranged in a triplet configuration for electric vehicle drive systems. Positive inputs, negative inputs, and output terminals of the different half-bridge inverter modules are aligned with each other. The inverter module includes a positive bus-bar coupled with the positive inputs and a negative bus-bar coupled with the negative inputs of the half-bridge inverter modules. The positive bus-bar is positioned adjacent to and parallel with the negative bus-bar. The inverter module can be coupled with a drive train unit of the electric vehicle and provide three phase voltages to the drive train unit. Each of the half bridge modules can generate a single phase voltage and three half-bridge modules arranged in a triplet configuration can provide three phase voltages.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 26, 2018
    Publication date: September 26, 2019
    Inventors: Nathan Chung, Jinzhu Li, Kangwei Mao, Colin Haag, Zhong Nie, Duanyang Wang, Yifan Tang
  • Publication number: 20190291570
    Abstract: Provided herein are systems and methods for cooling an electric drivetrain of an electric vehicle. The electric drivetrain can include an inverter, a gearbox and a motor. A first cooling system can use ethylene glycol and water (EGW) based coolant, and can include an EGW coolant loop to distribute the EGW based coolant to remove heat from a cold plate of the inverter, a housing of the gearbox, and a housing of the motor. A second cooling system can use an oil based coolant, and can include an oil coolant loop to distribute the oil based coolant to remove heat from internal components and the housing of the gearbox, and to remove heat from internal components and the housing of the motor. The second cooling system can include an oil coolant pump to control a flow of the oil based coolant through the oil coolant loop.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 8, 2018
    Publication date: September 26, 2019
    Applicant: SF Motors, Inc.
    Inventors: Yifan Tang, Zhichun Ma
  • Publication number: 20190296297
    Abstract: A battery cell of a battery pack to power an electric vehicle can include a housing to at least partially enclose an electrode assembly is provided. The battery cell can include a vent plate coupled with the housing via a glass weld at a lateral end of the battery cell. The vent plate can include a scoring pattern to cause the vent plate to rupture in response to a threshold pressure. A first end of a polymer tab can be electrically coupled with the vent plate at an area within a scored region defined by the scoring pattern. A second end of the polymer tab can be electrically coupled with an electrode assembly. The polymer tab can melt in response to either a threshold temperature or a threshold current within the battery cell.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 5, 2018
    Publication date: September 26, 2019
    Inventors: Ying Liu, Scott Quinlan Freeman Monismith, Chien-Fan Chen, Jeremy Andrew Elsberry, Yifan Tang
  • Publication number: 20190296296
    Abstract: Provided herein are battery cells for battery packs in electric vehicles. The battery cell includes a housing defining an inner region, an electrolyte disposed within the inner region, and a gasket that couples a lid with the housing to seal the battery cell. The gasket can include an inner portion having an ingress point and an egress point. The inner portion can have disposed therein a thermocouple wire that extends through the inner portion, past the ingress point and past the egress point. The thermocouple wire can include a first lead, a second lead, and a third lead. The first, second, and third leads can be disposed within a common jacket between the ingress point and the egress point. A thermocouple sensor can be disposed in the inner region and be coupled with the first, second, and third leads of the thermocouple wire to provide sensed temperature information.
    Type: Application
    Filed: May 31, 2018
    Publication date: September 26, 2019
    Inventors: Yifan Tang, Chien-Fan Chen, Ying Liu, Derek Nathan Wong
  • Publication number: 20190296655
    Abstract: Provided herein is a power converter component to power a drive unit of an electric vehicle drive system. The power converter component includes an inverter module formed having three half-bridge modules arranged in a triplet configuration for electric vehicle drive systems. Positive inputs, negative inputs, and output terminals of the different half-bridge inverter modules are aligned with each other. The inverter module includes a positive bus-bar coupled with the positive inputs and a negative bus-bar coupled with the negative inputs of the half-bridge inverter modules. The positive bus-bar is positioned adjacent to and parallel with the negative bus-bar. The inverter module can be coupled with a drive train unit of the electric vehicle and provide three phase voltages to the drive train unit. Each of the half bridge modules can generate a single phase voltage and three half-bridge modules arranged in a triplet configuration can provide three phase voltages.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2018
    Publication date: September 26, 2019
    Inventors: Nathan Chung, Jinzhu Li, Kangwei Mao, Colin Haag, Zhong Nie, Duanyang Wang, Yifan Tang
  • Publication number: 20190291720
    Abstract: Systems and methods of deep neural network based parking assistance is provided. A system can receive data sensed by one or more sensors mounted on a vehicle located at a parking zone. The system generates, from a first neural network, a digital map based on the data sensed by the one or more sensors. The system generates, from a second neural network, a first path based on the three-dimensional dynamic map. The system receives vehicle dynamics information from a second one or more sensors located on the vehicle. The system generates, with a third neural network, a second path to park the vehicle based on the first path, vehicle dynamics information and at least one historical path stored in vehicle memory. The system provides commands to control the vehicle to follow the second path to park the vehicle in the parking zone.
    Type: Application
    Filed: March 23, 2018
    Publication date: September 26, 2019
    Inventors: Xinhua Xiao, Yifan Tang
  • Publication number: 20190296658
    Abstract: Provided herein is a power converter component to power a drive unit of an electric vehicle drive system. The power converter component includes an inverter module formed having three half-bridge modules arranged in a triplet configuration for electric vehicle drive systems. Positive inputs, negative inputs, and output terminals of the different half-bridge inverter modules are aligned with each other. The inverter module includes a positive bus-bar coupled with the positive inputs and a negative bus-bar coupled with the negative inputs of the half-bridge inverter modules. The positive bus-bar is positioned adjacent to and parallel with the negative bus-bar. The inverter module can be coupled with a drive train unit of the electric vehicle and provide three phase voltages to the drive train unit. Each of the half bridge modules can generate a single phase voltage and three half-bridge modules arranged in a triplet configuration can provide three phase voltages.
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 26, 2018
    Publication date: September 26, 2019
    Inventors: Nathan Chung, Jinzhu Li, Kangwei Mao, Colin Haag, Zhong Nie, Duanyang Wang, Yifan Tang
  • Patent number: 10424769
    Abstract: Provided herein are battery packs for electric vehicles. A battery pack can include a housing having cavities. The battery pack can include electrode structures having a first tab terminal and a second tab terminal. A cover can be disposed over the housing. The cover can include first junction connectors extending between a first surface of the cover and a second surface of the cover. The first tab terminal of each electrode structure can be welded to respective first junction connectors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2018
    Date of Patent: September 24, 2019
    Assignees: CHONGQING JINKANG NEW ENERGY VEHICLE CO., LTD., SF MOTORS, INC.
    Inventors: Ying Liu, Derek Nathan Wong, Chien-Fan Chen, Yifan Tang
  • Publication number: 20190280611
    Abstract: Provided herein are power converter of a drive unit for an electric vehicle. The power converter includes an inverter having a first transistor, a second transistor, and a capacitor, and a laminated bus-bar having a positive bus-bar segment, a negative bus-bar segment and a phase bus-bar segment. The positive bus-bar segment, the negative bus-bar segment, and the phase bus-bar segment can be disposed about the capacitor to form a lead frame coupled with the capacitor. The lead frame can include a first lead coupled with the first transistor. The first lead can include portions of the positive bus-bar segment and the phase bus-bar segment. The lead frame can include a second lead coupled with the second transistor. The second lead can include portions of the negative bus-bar segment and the phase bus-bar segment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 1, 2018
    Publication date: September 12, 2019
    Inventors: Nathan Chung, Kangwei Mao, Zhong Nie, Duanyang Wang, Yifan Tang, Jinzhu Li
  • Publication number: 20190280610
    Abstract: Provided herein are power converter of a drive unit for an electric vehicle. The power converter includes an inverter having a first transistor, a second transistor, and a capacitor, and a laminated bus-bar having a positive bus-bar segment, a negative bus-bar segment and a phase bus-bar segment. The positive bus-bar segment, the negative bus-bar segment, and the phase bus-bar segment can be disposed about the capacitor to form a lead frame coupled with the capacitor. The lead frame can include a first lead coupled with the first transistor. The first lead can include portions of the positive bus-bar segment and the phase bus-bar segment. The lead frame can include a second lead coupled with the second transistor. The second lead can include portions of the negative bus-bar segment and the phase bus-bar segment.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 31, 2018
    Publication date: September 12, 2019
    Inventors: Nathan Chung, Kangwei Mao, Zhong Nie, Duanyang Wang, Yifan Tang, Jinzhu Li