The secondary battery includes a cathode, an anode, and an electrolytic solution. The anode includes an anode current collector and an anode active material layer that includes an anode active material, and is provided on the anode current collector, a surface of the anode active material being covered with one or more coatings containing one or both of polyvinylidene fluoride and a copolymer of polyvinylidene fluoride.

A power supply apparatus is provided which includes a power supply; a DC/DC converter including a switching element of an upper arm, a switching element of a lower arm and a reactor; a first switch provided between the switching element of the lower arm and the negative electrode of the power supply, the first switch being normally closed; a power supply fuse provided between the positive electrode of the power supply and the other end of the reactor; a second power supply fuse connected to the power supply fuse in parallel; a second switch connected to the second power supply fuse in series and connected to the power supply in parallel, the second switch being normally opened; and a controller that opens the first switch and closes the second switch upon a short circuit failure of the switching element of the lower arm being detected.

An electrical system architecture for a mobile, electric hybrid machine includes a first bus configured to receive electric power at a first, selectively adjustable voltage from an electrical power source. A second bus is configured to receive electric power at a second voltage that is lower than the first voltage. A controller is configured to determine a desired magnitude of the second voltage for the second bus, produce a signal indicative of a magnitude of the first, selectively adjustable voltage that is a multiple of the desired magnitude of the second voltage, and adjust the magnitude of the first voltage in the first bus to the multiple of the desired magnitude of the second voltage. A fixed-ratio power converter is configured to convert the power at the first voltage in the first bus to the power at the second voltage in the second bus.

A vehicle auxiliary power supply device includes a resonant inverter circuit that converts DC input into a desired AC voltage and outputs the AC voltage and a control unit. The control unit includes a resonance-time managing unit managing resonance time of current flowing in the resonant inverter circuit, a gate-off-command generating unit detecting overcurrent flowing in the resonant inverter circuit based on detected current of a current detector, and, when the overcurrent is detected, generating, based on detected current of the current detector and resonance time managed by the resonance-time managing unit, a gate-off command to turn off switching elements included in the resonant inverter circuit after the elapse of time after which current flowing in the switching elements becomes zero for the first time, and a gate-signal generating unit generating a gate signal that controls the switching elements to be turned off when the gate-off command is input.

A power converter module includes a baseplate, a substrate on the baseplate, one or more silicon carbide switching components on the substrate, and a housing over the baseplate, the substrate, and the one or more silicon carbide switching components. The housing has a footprint less than 25 cm.sup.2. Including a baseplate in a power converter module with a footprint less than 25 cm.sup.2 runs counter to accepted design principles for silicon and silicon carbide-based power converter modules, but may improve performance of the power converter module and/or decrease the cost of the power converter module.

A system can include a bi-directional converter circuit comprising a plurality of switches and a flying capacitor configured to experience a low voltage or a high voltage, and a control module operatively connected to the plurality of switches to control a state of the plurality of switches. The control module can be configured to receive a sense signal indicative of a flying capacitor voltage and to control the one or more switches of the plurality of switches to charge or discharge the flying capacitor to maintain a target voltage or target voltage range.

A minivan-type plug-in hybrid electric vehicle includes a first-row seat, a second-row seat, and a slide rail, which are disposed on a floor panel forming a floor surface of a passenger compartment. In the vehicle front-rear direction, the first-row seat is positioned rearward of the front wheels, and the second-row seat is positioned rearward of the first-row seat and forward of the rear wheels. The second-row seat is slidable along the slide rail on the floor panel in the vehicle front-rear direction. A battery, a fuel tank, and an exhaust pipe are disposed below the floor panel. The vehicle on-board charger is disposed on the floor panel so as to be positioned rearward of the axle of the rear wheels in the vehicle front-rear direction.

A power distribution control approach employs power distribution buses that are controllably energized and de-energized to control which aerial vehicle systems received power based on the applicable operational mode. A method of controlling power distribution in an electrically powered vertical takeoff and landing aircraft includes receiving an operational mode indication that identifies an operational mode. The operational mode is one of predetermined operational modes for the aircraft. Power distribution buses of the aircraft are controlled, based on the operational mode indication, to control each of the power distribution buses to be energized or de-energized.