US-12620920-B2 - System and method for shifting operation modes of variable flux memory motors

Abstract

A system for shifting operation modes of Variable Flux Memory Motor (VFMM) from external inputs includes one or more VFMMs that convert electrical power to kinetic energy, the one or more VFMMs being configured to shift to any one of a plurality of operation modes, one or more man-machine interfaces that receive one or more external inputs from a user, the one or more external inputs being indicative of a target operation mode from the plurality of operation modes selected by the user, and a controller that shifts the operation mode of the one or more VFMMs to the target operation mode based on the one or more external inputs received from the one or more man-machine interfaces.

Inventors

• Nicolaus Adam Radford
• Iain Cooper
• Pierre-Olivier Gourmelon
• John Parry

Assignees

• JACOBI MOTORS, LLC

Dates

Publication Date

20260505

Application Date

20231026

Claims (17)

1. 1 . A system for shifting operational modes of Variable Flux Memory Motor (VFMM) comprising: at least one VFMM comprising a plurality of operational modes; at least one interface configured to receive at least one input indicative of at least one of the plurality of operational modes; and a controller configured to: shift to the at least one of the plurality of operational modes based on the at least one input received from the at least one interface; transmit a first command signal to switch magnetization state of a first set of VFMMs corresponding to the at least one operational mode of the plurality of operational modes; transmit a second command signal to increase power of a second set of VFMMs to compensate for a change in net power output during switching of the magnetization states of the first set of VFMMs; transmit a third command signal to switch magnetization states of the second set of VFMMs corresponding to the at least one operational mode of the plurality of operational modes; and transmit a fourth command signal to increase power of the first set of VFMMs to compensate for a change in net power output during switching of the magnetization states of the second set of VFMMs.
2. 2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein: each of the at least one interface comprises a shift knob, a button, a grip shift, a foot pedal, a rotary knob, a voice command receiver, and biomedical implants.
3. 3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein each operational mode of the plurality of operational modes comprises at least one magnetization state, the at least one magnetization state corresponding with torque power and speed.
4. 4 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to: retrieve a set of magnetization states for the at least one VFMM corresponding to the at least one operational mode of the plurality of operational modes; and transmit another command signal to the at least one VFMM to switch magnetization state to the retrieved set of magnetization states.
5. 5 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to: determine a set of magnetization states corresponding to the at least one operational mode of the plurality of operational modes in real-time for each VFMM based on the at least one input; and transmit another command signal to switch magnetization states for each VFMM to the determined set of magnetization states.
6. 6 . The system of claim 1 , further comprising a display configured to indicate the at least one operational mode, at least one torque, and at least one speed of each VFMM.
7. 7 . A system for shifting operational modes of variable flux memory motor (VFMM) based on environmental parameters, the system comprising: at least one VFMM configured to shift to at least one operational mode of a plurality of operational modes; at least one sensor configured to detect at least one environmental parameter; and a controller configured to: shift the at least one operational mode of the at least one VFMM to a target operational mode based on the at least one environmental parameter from the at least one sensor; transmit a first command signal to switch magnetization states of a first set of VFMMs corresponding to the target operational mode; transmit a second command signal to increase power of a second set of VFMMs to compensate for a change in net power output during switching of the magnetization states of the first set of VFMMs; transmit a third command signal to switch magnetization states of the second set of VFMMs corresponding to the target operational mode; and transmit a fourth command signal to increase power of the first set of VFMMs to compensate for a change in net power output during switching of magnetization states of the second set of VFMMs.
8. 8 . The system of claim 7 , wherein each of the at least one sensor is configured to detect the at least one environmental parameter, the at least one environmental parameter being at least one of rain detection parameters, surface friction parameters, temperature parameters, tire pressure parameters, and surface gradient parameters.
9. 9 . The system of claim 7 , wherein each operational mode of the plurality of operational modes corresponds to at least one magnetization state for each VFMM, each magnetization state indicative of a torque power and a speed.
10. 10 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the controller is configured to: retrieve a set of magnetization states corresponding to the target operational mode for the at least one VFMM; and transmit another command signal to switch magnetization states of the at least one VFMM to the retrieved set of magnetization states.
11. 11 . The system of claim 7 , wherein the controller is configured to: determine a set of magnetization states corresponding to the target operational mode in real-time for each VFMM from the at least one VFMM; and transmit another command signal to switch magnetization states of the at least one VFMM to the determined set of magnetization states.
12. 12 . The system of claim 7 , further comprising at least one interface configured to receive at least one input.
13. 13 . A method for shifting operational mode of Variable Flux Memory Motor (VFMM), the method comprising: providing at least one VFMM coupled with a controller configured to operably shift an operational mode of the at least one VFMM based on a signal; receiving, by the controller, a set of signals from at least one of one or more interfaces and/or one or more sensors to shift a target operational mode of the at least one VFMM; determining, by the controller, a set of magnetization states of each of the least one VFMM corresponding to the target operational mode; and transmitting, by the controller, a set of command signals to each-VFMM of the at least one VFMM to shift the corresponding operational mode, wherein the step of transmitting comprises: transmitting, by the controller, a first command signal to switch magnetization states of a first set of VFMMs corresponding to the target operational mode; transmitting, by the controller, a second command signal to increase power of a second set of VFMMs to compensate for a change in net power output during switching of magnetization states of the first set of VFMMs; transmitting, by the controller, a third command signal to switch magnetization states of the second set of VFMMs corresponding to the target operational mode; and transmitting, by the controller, a fourth command signal to increase power of the first set of VFMMs to compensate for a change in net power output during switching of magnetization states of the second set of VFMMs.
14. 14 . The system of claim 2 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the at least one operational mode selected from the at least one input received from the at least one interface.
15. 15 . The system of claim 4 , further comprising a database configured to include the set of magnetization states for each operational mode of the plurality of operational modes.
16. 16 . The system of claim 8 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the target operational mode based on the at least one environmental parameter received from the at least one sensor.
17. 17 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the controller is configured to determine the target operational mode based on the at least one input and the at least one environmental parameter.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims priority, pursuant to 35 U.S.C. § 119(e), to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/419,564 entitled, “METHOD, SYSTEM, AND APPARATUS TO IMPROVE DRIVER EXPERIENCE,” filed on Oct. 26, 2022. The contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. BACKGROUND Synchronous electric motors with permanent magnets such as Variable-Flux Memory Motors (VFMM) have a wide range of applications in industrial, commercial, and residential, applications, such as fans, pumps, compressors, elevators, and refrigerators, industrial machinery, and electric motor vehicles because of their high efficiencies. These advantages along with others (e.g., being brushless) make the synchronous electric motors popular where high torque, high efficiency, or low maintenance for electric motors is needed. The versatility of applications of such synchronous electric motors can be further exploited with real-time or near real-time shifting of operation modes thereof. For instance, particularly in automobile applications, configurations of the synchronous motors may be suitably adapted based on performance requirements, such as requiring high-torque and low-speed during acceleration, and requiring low-torque high speed when cruising on a freeway. While synchronous electric motors provide increased efficiency in a wide band of operating ranges, existing solutions fail to provide means for switching operation modes thereof. Existing solutions also fail to address appropriate techniques of compensating, and thereby preventing, loss in performance of the synchronous motors during shifting of operation modes. Additionally, existing solutions also are incapable of shifting operation modes thereof based on external inputs from human operators or sensory information of the environment around the automobile. Therefore, there is a need for a system and a method for shifting operation modes of VFMM. Particularly, there is a need for a system and a method for shifting operation modes of VFMMs based on external inputs. SUMMARY In an aspect of the disclosure, embodiments of the disclosure are directed towards a system for shifting operation modes of Variable Flux Memory Motor (VFMM) from external inputs. The system includes one or more VFMMs that convert electrical power to kinetic energy, the one or more VFMMs being configured to shift to any one of a plurality of operation modes, one or more man-machine interfaces that receive one or more external inputs from a user, the one or more external inputs being indicative of a target operation mode from the plurality of operation modes selected by the user, and a controller that shifts the operation mode of the one or more VFMMs to the target operation mode based on the one or more external inputs received from the one or more man-machine interfaces. In another aspect, embodiments of the disclosure are directed towards a system for shifting operation modes of variable flux memory motor (VFMM) based on environmental parameters. The system includes one or more VFMMs that convert electrical power to kinetic energy, the one or more VFMMs being configured to shift to any one of a plurality of operation modes, one or more sensors that detect one or more environmental parameters, and a controller that shifts the operation mode of the one or more VFMMs to a target operation mode based on the one or more environmental parameters received from the one or more sensors. In yet another aspect, embodiments of the disclosure are directed towards method for shifting operation mode of Variable Flux Memory Motor (VFMM), comprising: providing one or more VFMMs connected to a controller that operably shifts an operation mode of the one or more VFMMs based on an external signal, receiving, by the controller, a set of signals from either one or more man-made interfaces or one or more sensors to shift a target operation mode of the one or more VFMM, determining, by the controller, a set of magnetization states of each VFMMs from the one or more VFMMs corresponding to the target operation mode, and transmitting, by the controller, a set of command signals to each VFMMs from the one or more VFMMs to shift the operation mode thereof. Other aspects of the disclosure will be apparent from the following description and the appended claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 shows a block diagram of a system for shifting operational modes of a Variable Flux Memory Motor (VFMM) implemented in a vehicle, according to one or more embodiments. FIG. 2 shows an efficiency map of a conventional motor. FIG. 3 shows an efficiency map of a VFMM, according to one or more embodiments. FIG. 4A shows a flowchart of a method for shifting operation modes of VFMM, according to one or more embodiments. FIG. 4B shows a flowchart of a method for asynchronous switching of magnetization states of each VFMM, according to one or more embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION Specific embod