Abstract: A starting system for an internal combustion engine of a vehicle includes a second motor configured to drive a second load, a first motor configured to selectively drive either the engine or a first load, and a controller configured to control the first and second motors such that when the first motor drives the engine the second motor is stopped, and when the first motor drives the first load the second motor is controlled to drive the second load. Preferably, the second load is a cooling fan of a cooling system for the engine and the first load is a water pump of the cooling system.

Abstract: An electric drive system in an automotive vehicle includes a controller for determining a condition of the electric drive system. The electric drive system includes only two current sensors and a common-mode current transformer. In response to the current sensors and the common-mode current transformer, the controller determines the condition of the electric drive system. The condition of the electric drive system may depend on a condition of an electrical connection between a drive system inverter and a motor in the electric drive system as well as a calculated amount of error in the electric drive system. In addition, the controller may control various operations of the electric drive system, which may or may not depend on the condition of the electric drive system.

Abstract: In a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), the available energy from a battery may be inadequate to drive a motor to generate additional torque sufficient for driveability upon a request for an increase in wheel torque. The motor may then be operated in a lossy, inefficient mode. When the motor operates in the lossy mode, engine power can be increased such that the sum of the engine power and the maximum available battery power may exceed requested wheel power. The increased engine power may be dissipated as heat in the motor until an increase in wheel torque is requested, whereby the motor may switch from the lossy mode back to a normal, efficient mode. By switching back to the normal mode, the excessive engine power that was being dissipated as heat in the motor may contribute to the output torque of the motor.

Abstract: A system and method are disclosed for controlling a vehicle during a turn in which a braking torque is applied to an inside wheel of the vehicle when understeer is detected and to an outside wheel when oversteer is detected. Electrical energy commanded to an electric motor coupled to a first axle of the vehicle is increased in response to application of the braking torque to compensate for the applied braking torque.

Abstract: During a transient operating condition in an electric machine, a diagnostic routine associated with the electric machine may erroneously indicate a fault. According to the disclosure, a flag is set when a transient condition is detected. The flag is communicated to the diagnostic routine. The output of the diagnostic routine may be altered when the flag is set, i.e., when a transient is detected.

Abstract: A pulse width modulation (PWM) Frequency Adaptation Mechanism (PFAM) is configured to receive vehicle state input, and in response to the vehicle state input, provide a PWM parameter for PWM switching of electronics in a power conversion circuit of an electric drive system (EDS) for a hybrid electric vehicle. In one example, a PWM parameter that reduces the audible noise generated by PWM switching can be designated by the PFAM. A PFAM can be configured to receive user input regarding user preference for a default mode or a noise reduction mode. Vehicle state input can include input related to vehicle motion, climate control system state, engine state, EDS state, vehicle body state and audio system state. By way of example, a PWM noise reduction parameter can comprise a high PWM switching frequency, or a random frequency hopping about a low PWM switching frequency.

Abstract: A High Voltage Interlock Strategy (HVIS) uses feedback current to detect cable connectivity status for a high-voltage cable configured to connect a power conversion circuit with a remote permanent magnet synchronous machine (PMSM). One or more feedback factors are calculated based on detected feedback current. Various algorithms for calculating a feedback factor, and for determining connectivity status based on calculated feedback factors, can be practiced, according to the PMSM operational mode. Fault detection action can be performed in response to detecting a cable disconnect. The HVIS can be implemented by software, making it a safe, economical solution for cable connectivity detection.

Abstract: An electric drive system in an automotive vehicle includes a controller for determining a condition of the electric drive system. The electric drive system includes only two current sensors and a common-mode current transformer. In response to the current sensors and the common-mode current transformer, the controller determines the condition of the electric drive system. The condition of the electric drive system may depend on a condition of an electrical connection between a drive system inverter and a motor in the electric drive system as well as a calculated amount of error in the electric drive system. In addition, the controller may control various operations of the electric drive system, which may or may not depend on the condition of the electric drive system.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for electromagnetically actuating engine valves to obtain soft seating. The magnitude and duration of current pulses applied to the armature attracting coils are determined based upon a total mechanical energy and a total energy loss of the armature obtained from the armature position.

Abstract: The present invention includes an induction motor and a system for controlling the induction motor including a battery providing a DC voltage and an inverter coupled to the induction motor and the battery, wherein the inverter is adapted to drive the induction motor from the battery. A motor controller is adapted to calculate a flux current and a slip frequency in response to an induction motor speed. The motor controller is further adapted to operate in one of a current control mode or a slip control mode. The motor controller is adapted to cause the slip frequency to increase by a slip decremental in a transition phase from the current control mode to the slip control mode, and further adapted to cause the slip frequency to increase by a slip incremental in a transition phase from the slip control mode to the current control mode.

Abstract: An amplifier/power supply for an engine valve actuator includes a pair of switches for operating an actuator coil in several modes from a low voltage power supply. A higher magnitude voltage is regeneratively created using the inductance of the actuator coil and selective actuation of the switches.

Abstract: An apparatus and a method for electromagnetically actuating engine valves to obtain soft seating. The magnitude and duration of current pulses applied to the armature attracting coils are determined based upon a total mechanical energy and a total energy loss of the armature obtained from the armature position.

Abstract: An amplifier/power supply for an engine valve actuator includes a pair of switches for operating an actuator coil in several modes from a low voltage power supply. A higher magnitude voltage is regeneratively created using the inductance of the actuator coil and selective actuation of the switches.

Abstract: A method for initializing an actuator valve (12) and controlling the valve (12) using current command control (100) or voltage control including an estimate of back emf (200). A series of low voltage pulses (304) is applied to one of the solenoid coils (20, 24) in the actuator valve (12) according to the natural frequency of the armature (16) movement in the actuator valve (12). The current command control system calculates a desired force (Fem) and divides the force into closing and opening components Fem—c, Fem—o, for calculating a desired current command Ic_cmd, Io_cmd, for each of the solenoid coils. The back emf control system divides the current signal into close and open components, Io, Ic, that are individually processed and combined with a back emf estimate for each of the open and close solenoids, ec, eo. The result is a desired voltage command, vc*, vo*, for each of the solenoids that is communicated to the power stage (34) in order to operate the armature (16) as desired.

Abstract: An electrically actuated engine valve provides an armature having one or more teeth extending outward from the armature along the actuation axis to be received by corresponding sockets in the cores of opposed electromagnets. The teeth do not restrain the movement of the armature but in approaching the cores provides a magnetic flux path that produces a more constant force of attraction during actuation of the valve. This enables the valves to overcome initial opposing forces such as caused by pressure on the valve heads to which the armature is attached and provides a path of inductive coupling between the opposed coils that can reveal armature position providing a method of accurately controlling armature seating speed.

Abstract: An eddy current brake having an electromagnetic pole and a rotor journalled for rotation in a torque delivery shaft of an automotive vehicle driveline, the rotor being rotatably positioned in close proximity to the stator with an air gap between them. The stator comprises steel pole pieces with hollow cores that establish a magnetic circuit for a magnetic flux field. The pole pieces have machine-wound electrical windings. The windings are fastened with pole caps. The hollow core reduces the weight and material of the stator without significantly adversely affecting the braking capacity of the retarder brake for any given speed of rotation of the rotor and for any given number of ampere-turns for the stator windings. The pole caps reduce the magnetic saturation and increases the overall brake torque output.

Abstract: Index signals which represent the degree of instability in a three-phase induction motor system is derived by using phase current signals which are usually already available in V/Hz PWM inverters for other purposes. Proportional integration compensators, which may be implemented in software, process these index signals and generate frequency and/or voltage adjustments to the V/Hz controller in order to compensate for speed instability in the system. The compensation algorithm is robust to system changes and is also effective to improve acceleration and deceleration performance.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for compensating for common mode voltages in the output of PWM inverters in induction motor systems is disclosed. In one embodiment, a common mode sensing circuit is coupled to the output of a three-phase inverter to detect common mode voltages in the output. A common mode sensing signal generated by the common mode sensing circuit is applied to a multi-level comparator circuit to generate a plurality of gate driving signals. The gate driving signals are used to control a single-phase multi-level half-bridge inverter circuit to generate a compensation signal that is injected by transformer coupling into the PWM inverter output.