Systems, apparatus and method for adaptive wireless power transfer

• US 10,046,659 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2015
• Issued: 08/14/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WiTricity Corporation
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Bucher, Roman, Fischer, Marcel, Widmer, Hans Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): Shin, Jeffrey
• Application Number:
  US14/863,231
• Publication Number:
  US 20160176300A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,056 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/122 Circuits or methods for driving the primary coil, e.g. supplying electric power to the coil
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007 Regulation of charging or discharging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0048 Circuits or arrangements for reducing losses using snubbers H02M1/34
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0058 by employing soft switching techniques, i.e. commutation of transistors when applied voltage is zero or when current flow is zero using an auxiliary actively switched resonant commutation circuit connected to an intermediate DC voltage or between two push-pull branches of an inverter bridge H02M7/4811; in resonant inverters H02M7/4815; in inverters operating from a resonant DC source H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33523 with galvanic isolation between input and output of both the power stage and the feedback loop
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/3376 with automatic control of output voltage or current
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/92 Energy efficient charging or discharging systems for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors specially adapted for vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

An apparatus for wirelessly receiving power from a wireless power transmitter is provided. The apparatus comprises an active switching rectifier operably connected to a coupler and configured to operate in a first bridge mode and a second bridge mode. The apparatus comprises a controller configured to adjust an input resistance of the rectifier to a first value that provides a first wireless power transfer efficiency when the rectifier operates in the first bridge mode. The controller is configured to adjust the input resistance of the rectifier to a second value that provides a second wireless power transfer efficiency less than the first wireless power transfer efficiency while operating within one or more operating limitations when the rectifier operates in the second bridge mode.

Claims

1. An apparatus for wirelessly receiving power from a wireless power transmitter, the apparatus comprising:

an active switching rectifier operably connected to a coupler and configured to operate in a first bridge mode and a second bridge mode; and

a controller configured to;

adjust an input resistance of the rectifier to a first value that provides a first wireless power transfer efficiency in response to configuring the rectifier in the first bridge mode, and

adjust the input resistance of the rectifier to a second value that provides a second wireless power transfer efficiency less than the first wireless power transfer efficiency while operating within one or more operating limitations in response to configuring the rectifier in the second bridge mode.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first bridge mode is a half bridge mode and the second value of the input resistance of the rectifier is greater than the first value if the coupler is series tuned.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first bridge mode is a full bridge mode and the second value of the input resistance of the rectifier is less than the first value if the coupler is parallel tuned.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to adjust a switching duty cycle of the rectifier based on a current in the wireless power transmitter.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to select one of the first bridge mode and the second bridge mode of the rectifier based on a comparison between a switching duty cycle of the rectifier and one or both of an associated maximum allowable duty cycle and an associated minimum allowable duty cycle.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to select one of the first bridge mode and the second bridge mode of the rectifier based on a comparison between a switching duty cycle of a rectifier in the wireless power transmitter and one or both of an associated maximum allowable duty cycle and an associated minimum allowable duty cycle.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first wireless power transfer efficiency is a substantially maximum attainable wireless power transfer efficiency when the input resistance of the rectifier has the first value and the rectifier is operating in the first bridge mode.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to adjust a ratio between a current circulating in the apparatus and a current circulating in the wireless power transmitter in order to adjust the input resistance of the rectifier.

9. A method for wirelessly receiving power from a wireless power transmitter, the method comprising:

adjusting an input resistance of an active switching rectifier operably connected to a coupler to a first value that provides a first wireless power transfer efficiency in response to configuring the rectifier in a first bridge mode,

adjusting the input resistance of the rectifier to a second value that provides a second wireless power transfer efficiency less than the first wireless power transfer efficiency while operating within one or more operating limitations in response to configuring the rectifier in a second bridge mode, and

receiving the wireless power from the wireless power transmitter.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first bridge mode is a half bridge mode and the second value of the input resistance of the rectifier is greater than the first value if the coupler is essentially series tuned.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the first bridge mode is a full bridge mode and the second value of the input resistance of the rectifier is less than the first value if the coupler is essentially parallel tuned.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising adjusting a switching duty cycle of the rectifier based on a current in the wireless power transmitter.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising selecting one of the first bridge mode and the second bridge mode of the rectifier based on a comparison between a switching duty cycle of the rectifier and one or both of an associated maximum allowable duty cycle and an associated minimum allowable duty cycle.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising selecting one of the first bridge mode and the second bridge mode of the rectifier based on a comparison between a switching duty cycle of a rectifier in the wireless power transmitter and one or both of an associated maximum allowable duty cycle and an associated minimum allowable duty cycle.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the first wireless power transfer efficiency is a substantially maximum attainable wireless power transfer efficiency when the input resistance of the rectifier has the first value and the rectifier is operating in the first bridge mode.

16. The method of claim 9, comprising adjusting a ratio between a current circulating in the coupler and a current circulating in the wireless power transmitter in order to adjust the input resistance of the rectifier.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising code that, when executed, causes an apparatus configured to wirelessly receive power from a wireless power transmitter to:

adjust an input resistance of an active switching rectifier operably connected to a coupler to a first value that provides a first wireless power transfer efficiency in response to configuring the rectifier in a first bridge mode,

adjust the input resistance of the rectifier to a second value that provides a second wireless power transfer efficiency less than the first wireless power transfer efficiency while operating within one or more operating limitations in response to configuring the rectifier in a second bridge mode, and

receive the wireless power from the wireless power transmitter.

18. The medium of claim 17, wherein the first bridge mode is a half bridge mode and the second value of the input resistance of the rectifier is greater than the first value if the coupler is essentially series tuned.

19. The medium of claim 17, wherein the first bridge mode is a full bridge mode and the second value of the input resistance of the rectifier is less than the first value if the coupler is essentially parallel tuned.

20. The medium of claim 17, wherein the code, when executed, further causes the apparatus to adjust a switching duty cycle of the rectifier based on a current in the wireless power transmitter.

21. The medium of claim 17, wherein the code, when executed, further causes the apparatus to select one of the first bridge mode and the second bridge mode of the rectifier based on a comparison between a switching duty cycle of the rectifier and one or both of an associated maximum allowable duty cycle and an associated minimum allowable duty cycle.

22. The medium of claim 17, wherein the code, when executed, further causes the apparatus to select one of the first bridge mode and the second bridge mode of the rectifier based on a comparison between a switching duty cycle of a rectifier in the wireless power transmitter and one or both of an associated maximum allowable duty cycle and an associated minimum allowable duty cycle.

23. The medium of claim 17, wherein the first wireless power transfer efficiency is a substantially maximum attainable wireless power transfer efficiency when the input resistance of the rectifier has the first value and the rectifier is operating in the first bridge mode.

24. The medium of claim 17, wherein the code, when executed, further causes the apparatus to adjust a ratio between a current circulating in the apparatus and a current circulating in the wireless power transmitter in order to adjust the input resistance of the rectifier.

25. An apparatus for wirelessly receiving power from a wireless power transmitter, the apparatus comprising:

means for rectifying an input from a coupler configured to operate in a first bridge mode and a second bridge mode;

means for adjusting an input resistance of the means for rectifying to a first value that provides a first wireless power transfer efficiency in response to configuring the means for rectifying in the first bridge mode, and

means for adjusting the input resistance of the means for rectifying to a second value that provides a second wireless power transfer efficiency less than the first wireless power transfer efficiency while operating within one or more operating limitations in response to configuring the means for rectifying in the second bridge mode.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the first bridge mode is a half bridge mode and the second value of the input resistance of the means for rectifying is greater than the first value if the coupler is essentially series tuned.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the first bridge mode is a full bridge mode and the second value of the input resistance of the means for rectifying is less than the first value if the coupler is essentially parallel tuned.

28. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising means for adjusting a switching duty cycle of the means for rectifying based on a current in the wireless power transmitter.

29. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising means for selecting one of the first bridge mode and the second bridge mode of the means for rectifying based on a comparison between a switching duty cycle of the means for rectifying and one or both of an associated maximum allowable duty cycle and an associated minimum allowable duty cycle.

30. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising means for selecting one of the first bridge mode and the second bridge mode of the means for rectifying based on a comparison between a switching duty cycle of a means for rectifying in the wireless power transmitter and one or both of an associated maximum allowable duty cycle and an associated minimum allowable duty cycle.