Multi power source charging apparatus including inductive power transfer

• US 10,106,046 B2
• Filed: 12/07/2016
• Issued: 10/23/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Auckland UniServices Limited (Auckland University)
• Original Assignee: Auckland UniServices Limited (Auckland University)
• Inventors: Boys, John Talbot, Covic, Grant Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhanu, Samuel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kebede, Tessema
• Application Number:
  US15/371,788
• Publication Number:
  US 20170113558A1
• Time in Patent Office: 685 Days
• Field of Search: 320109, 320108
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/124 Detection or removal of foreign bodies
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/126 Methods for pairing a vehicle and a charging station, e.g. establishing a one-to-one relation between a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power receiver
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 55/00 Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/36 Electric or magnetic shields or screens movable for varying inductance H01F21/10
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/363 made of electrically conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 5/00 Coils superconducting coils H01F6/06; fixed inductances of the signal type H01F17/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/40 using two or more transmitting or receiving devices H02J50/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• 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 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/126 : the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]

Abstract

An apparatus for charging a battery, the apparatus including a first power transfer coupling arranged to selectively couple to the battery to charge at a high power transfer rate and a second power transfer coupling arranged to selectively couple to the battery to charge at a lower power transfer rate, wherein the second power transfer coupling comprises a pickup pad electrically coupled to the battery, wherein power is transferred to the pickup pad from a charging pad by inductive power transfer.

Claims

1. An apparatus for charging a battery, the apparatus comprising:

a first power transfer coupling arranged to selectively couple to the battery to charge at a first power transfer rate; and

a second power transfer coupling arranged to selectively couple to the battery to charge at a second power transfer rate, wherein the second power transfer rate is lower than the first power transfer rate and wherein the second power transfer coupling comprises a pickup pad electrically coupled to the battery, wherein power is transferred to the pickup pad from a charging pad by inductive power transfer;

wherein the first power transfer coupling comprises a socket electrically coupled to the battery and is selected in response to a cable being plugged into the socket where the cable is connected to an electrical supply rated at least at the first power transfer rate.

2. An apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second power transfer coupling is adapted to selectively couple to the battery to charge at the second power transfer rate in response to unplugging the cable.

3. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an indicator arranged to indicate when the battery is being charged.

4. An apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an indicator arranged to indicate alignment between the charging pad and the pickup pad.

5. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the pickup pad comprises:

one or more ferromagnetic slabs in a first layer;

a coil having at least one turn of a conductor, the coil being arranged in a second layer substantially parallel to that of said ferromagnetic slabs; and

a shield member comprising a backplate defining a third layer, said backplate arranged to control said magnetic field generated by said coil.

6. A battery charging system comprising:

an inductive power receiver including a battery and a pickup pad; and

an inductive power transmitter including a charging pad for inductively transferring power to the pickup pad;

the inductive power receiver further comprising;

a first power transfer coupling arranged to selectively couple the battery to charge at a first power transfer rate;

a second power transfer coupling arranged to selectively couple the battery to charge at a second power transfer rate, wherein the second power transfer rate is lower than the first power transfer rate; and

wherein the second power transfer coupling the pickup pad to the battery where power is transferred to the pickup pad from the charging pad by inductive power transfer;

wherein the first power transfer coupling comprises a socket electrically coupled to the

1. battery and is selected in response to a cable being plugged into the socket where the cable is

connected to an electrical supply rated at least at the first power transfer rate.

7. A system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the second power transfer coupling is adapted to selectively couple the battery to charge at the second power transfer rate in response to unplugging the cable.

8. A system as claimed in claim 6, further comprising an indicator arranged to indicate when the battery is being charged.

9. A system as claimed in claim 6, further comprising an indicator arranged to indicate alignment between the charging pad and pickup pad.

10. A system as claimed in claim 6, wherein the pickup pad and/or the charging pad comprises:

one or more ferromagnetic slabs in a first layer;

a coil having at least one turn of a conductor, the coil being arranged in a second layer substantially parallel to that of said ferromagnetic slabs; and

a shield member comprising a backplate defining a third layer, said backplate arranged to control said magnetic field generated by said coil.