Systems, methods, and apparatus related to wireless charging management

• US 10,146,647 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2017
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WiTricity Corporation
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Halker, Ravi, Gosnell, Donald Joseph, Rodriguez-Figueroa, Hector Rafael, Reyes, Christian Yair, Mehta, Jayal Madhukumar, Keeling, Nicholas Athol, Kissin, Michael Le Gallais
• Primary Examiner(s): Lottich, Joshua P
• Application Number:
  US15/489,150
• Publication Number:
  US 20170351587A1
• Time in Patent Office: 596 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0023 Detecting, eliminating, remedying or compensating for drive train abnormalities, e.g. failures within the drive train
• 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: 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 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/31 Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/35 Means for automatic or assisted adjustment of the relative position of charging devices and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/62 in response to charging parameters, e.g. current, voltage or electrical charge
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/67 Controlling two or more charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/20 using active fault-masking, e.g. by switching out faulty elements or by switching in spare elements
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/60 responsive to the presence of foreign objects, e.g. detection of living beings
• 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 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• 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

Abstract

Various systems, methods, and apparatuses for operating a wireless charging device in an electric vehicle are disclosed. One method includes detecting a system fault indicative of one or more faults in the wireless charging device in the electric vehicle or in the transmitter. The method further includes determining a fault severity level from a plurality of fault severity levels based on a type of the system fault detected. A total number of types of system faults can be greater than a total number of the plurality of fault severity levels. The method further includes performing one or more system fault response operation based on the determined fault severity level. Each of the plurality of fault severity levels can be associated with a different set of system fault response operations.

Claims

1. A wireless charging device, comprising:

a wireless power transfer circuit; and

a processor configured to control a system operation of the wireless charging device, the processor configured to;

delay initiating wireless power transfer to an electric vehicle for a first period of time in response to receiving an indication to initiate the wireless power transfer to the electric vehicle,

ignore detection of one or more foreign objects during the first period of time,

delay initiating the wireless power transfer for a second period of time after the first period of time; and

initiate wireless power transfer after the second period of time in response to determining that no foreign object is detected as present during the second period of time.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the indication to initiate wireless power transfer is in response to receiving another indication to re-start power transfer after another foreign object was cleared.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

receive a signal indicating that the foreign object is detected during the second period of time, and

interrupt the system operation in response to receiving the signal.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the signal is received from a foreign object detection circuit.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the indication comprises an input received from a user via a user input device.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the first period of time has a duration between 15 and 25 seconds or between 1 and 60 seconds.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more foreign objects comprises a living object, wherein determining that no foreign object is detected as present includes determining that no living object is detected as present.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the wireless power transfer circuit comprises a coil comprising a conductive material and having at least one loop portion, the coil configured to:

couple to a magnetic field generated by a transmitter for the wireless power transfer; and

generate output power to power or charge a load.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising a foreign object detection circuit configured to:

detect the one or more foreign objects within a predetermined distance from the wireless power transfer circuit, the one or more foreign objects interfering with the wireless power transfer or not participating in the wireless power transfer.

10. A method of operating a wireless power transfer device, the method comprising:

receiving, at a point in time, an indication to initiate wireless power transfer for charging an electric vehicle;

delaying initiation of the wireless power transfer for a first period of time after the point in time,

ignoring detection of one or more foreign objects during the first period of time,

delaying initiation of the wireless power transfer for a second period of time after the first period of time; and

initiating wireless power transfer after the second period of time in response to determining that no foreign object is detected as present during the second period of time.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the indication to initiate wireless power transfer is received in response to receiving another indication to re-start power transfer after another foreign object is cleared.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

receiving a signal indicating that a foreign object is detected during the second period of time, and

interrupting a system operation in response to receiving the signal.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the indication comprises an input received from a user via a user input device.

14. The method of claim 10, wherein the first period of time has a duration between 15 and 25 seconds or between 1 and 60 seconds.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein ignoring detection of the one or more foreign objects comprises ignoring receipt of an input received from a foreign object detection circuit.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more foreign objects comprises a living object, and wherein determining that no foreign object is detected as present includes determining no living object is detected as present.

17. A wireless power charging device, comprising:

means for receiving, at a point in time, an indication to initiate wireless power transfer for charging an electric vehicle;

means for delaying initiation of the wireless power transfer for a first period of time after the point in time,

means for ignoring detection of one or more foreign objects during the first period of time,

means for delaying initiation the wireless power transfer for a second period of time after the first period of time; and

means for initiating wireless power transfer after the second period of time in response to determining that no foreign object is detected as present during the second period of time.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein the one or more foreign objects comprises a living object, and wherein determining that no foreign object is detected as present includes determining no living object is detected as present.