Inductive wireless power transfer systems

• US 10,141,748 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2014
• Issued: 11/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Kautz, Richard William, Altunyurt, Nevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Assouad, Patrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zhang, Haidong
• Application Number:
  US14/577,404
• Publication Number:
  US 20160181819A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,439 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/20 characterised by converters located in the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/402 the two or more transmitting or the two or more receiving devices being integrated in the same unit, e.g. power mats with several coils or antennas with several sub-antennas
• 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 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A wireless power transfer system includes a coil assembly including a pair of spaced apart inductive coils positioned on a same side of a ferrite pad, and a switching network. The switching network, in response to an indication of a corresponding inductive coil assembly configuration, selectively operates the coils in a two-pole mode or a three-pole mode.

Claims

1. A wireless power transfer method comprising:

in response to an indication that a secondary coil assembly has a two-pole configuration, controlling current flow in each of a pair of primary coils that are spaced apart and positioned on a same side of a ferrite pad such that directions of the current flow in the primary coils are opposite; and

in response to an indication that the secondary coil assembly has a three-pole configuration, controlling current flow in each of the primary coils such that directions of the current flow in the primary coils are the same.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising requesting that the secondary coil assembly indicate whether it has the two-pole configuration or three-pole configuration.

3. A wireless power transfer system comprising:

a coil assembly including a pair of spaced apart inductive coils positioned on a same side of a ferrite pad; and

a switching network configured to, in response to an indication of a corresponding inductive coil assembly configuration, selectively operate the coils in a two-pole mode or a three-pole mode.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein selectively operating the coils in a two-pole mode or a three-pole mode includes controlling a direction of current flow through each of the coils.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the directions of current flow through the coils are the same in the three-pole mode.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein the directions of current flow through the coils are opposite in the two-pole mode.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein a distance between closest outer peripheries of the coils is at least five percent of a length of the pad.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the distance is at least ten percent of the length.

9. The system of claim 3, wherein the coils are primary coils.

10. The system of claim 3, wherein the coils are secondary coils.

11. The system of claim 3, wherein the switching network is further configured to, in response to an indication of coil misalignment, short a coil of the coil assembly.

12. A vehicle comprising:

a traction battery;

a secondary coil assembly operatively arranged with the traction battery and configured to receive power from a corresponding primary coil assembly, the secondary coil assembly including a ferrite pad and a pair of secondary inductive coils spaced apart and positioned on the pad; and

a controller configured to send data to the corresponding primary coil assembly indicating a two-pole configuration or a three-pole configuration for the secondary coil assembly.

13. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the controller is further configured to, in response to an indication of a misalignment between the secondary coil assembly and the corresponding primary coil assembly, short one of the secondary inductive coils.

14. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the secondary coil assembly further includes a tuning network and rectifier arranged with each of the secondary inductive coils such that current at each of the secondary inductive coils is tuned and rectified independent of the other.

15. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the secondary coil assembly further includes a rectifier configured to convert AC power to DC power to charge the traction battery.