Base side vehicle identification using vehicle controller switching frequency

• US 10,239,415 B2
• Filed: 04/19/2017
• Issued: 03/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/24/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WiTricity Corporation
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Huang, Chang-Yu, Neath, Michael, Kissin, Michael Le Gallais
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhanu, Samuel
• Application Number:
  US15/491,016
• Publication Number:
  US 20170368944A1
• Time in Patent Office: 706 Days
• Field of Search: 320108
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/147 electro magnetic [EMI]
• 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 53/126 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 53/30 Constructional details of charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/36 by positioning the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/39 with position-responsive activation of primary coils
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• 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: Y02T 90/167 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

Techniques for wirelessly transferring energy to a vehicle are disclosed. An example method for wirelessly transferring energy to a vehicle according to the disclosure includes detecting a ripple frequency on a transmitter coil circuit, such that the ripple frequency is associated with a vehicle switch mode controller frequency of a switch mode controller in the vehicle, and providing an electrical current to a coil in the transmitter coil circuit based at least in part on the ripple frequency.

Claims

1. A method for wirelessly transferring energy to a vehicle, comprising:

detecting a ripple frequency on a transmitter coil circuit, wherein the ripple frequency is associated with a vehicle switch mode controller frequency of a switch mode controller in the vehicle; and

providing an electrical current to a coil in the transmitter coil circuit based at least in part on the ripple frequency.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the coil in the transmitter coil circuit is configured to generate a magnetic field to transfer energy to the vehicle via induction.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein wirelessly transferring power to the vehicle is performed at a system charging frequency and the ripple frequency corresponding to a beat frequency between the vehicle switch mode controller frequency and the system charging frequency.

4. The method of claim 3 further comprising determining the vehicle switch mode controller frequency based on the ripple frequency and the system charging frequency.

5. The method of claim 4 further comprising determining a vehicle identification based on the vehicle switch mode controller frequency.

6. The method of claim 4 further comprising:

providing the ripple frequency to a distribution controller; and

receiving a command from the distribution controller, wherein providing the electrical current to the coil in the transmitter coil circuit is based on the command.

7. The method of claim 4 further comprising providing the vehicle switch mode controller frequency to a second transmitter coil circuit, wherein the second transmitter coil circuit is configured to provided current to a second coil based on the vehicle switch mode controller frequency.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising determining a vehicle controller switching duty cycle based on the ripple frequency.

9. The method of claim 1 further wherein the ripple frequency is associated with a ripple envelope and providing the electrical current to the coil in the transmitter coil circuit is based on a magnitude of the ripple envelope.

10. An apparatus for wirelessly transferring energy to a vehicle, comprising:

a transmitter coil circuit including a coil;

a ripple detector operably coupled to the transmitter coil circuit;

at least one processor operably coupled to the transmitter coil circuit and the ripple detector and configured to;

receive a ripple frequency from the ripple detector, wherein the ripple frequency is associated with a vehicle switch mode controller frequency of a switch mode controller in the vehicle; and

provide an electrical current to the transmitter coil circuit based at least in part on the ripple frequency.

11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the coil is configured to generate a magnetic field to transfer energy to the vehicle via induction.

12. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the ripple detector includes a peak detector stage comprising at least a series connection of a diode and a capacitor.

13. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the ripple detector includes a sample and hold stage comprising at least a capacitor, a field effect transistor (FET), and an operational amplifier.

14. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the ripple detector includes a zero crossing detector stage comprising at least an operational amplifier comparator circuit.

15. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the transmitter coil circuit is configured to operate at a system charging frequency and the ripple frequency is equal to a beat frequency between the vehicle switch mode controller frequency and the system charging frequency.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine the vehicle switch mode controller frequency based on the ripple frequency and the system charging frequency.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine a vehicle identification based on the vehicle switch mode controller frequency.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 wherein the at least one processor is configured to:

provide the ripple frequency to a distribution controller;

receive a command from the distribution controller; and

provide the electrical current to the transmitter coil circuit based at least in part on the command.

19. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the at least one processor is configured to determine a vehicle controller switching duty cycle based on the ripple frequency.

20. An apparatus for wirelessly transferring energy to a vehicle, comprising:

means for detecting a ripple frequency on a transmitter means, wherein the ripple frequency is associated with a vehicle switch mode controller frequency of a switch mode controller in the vehicle; and

means for providing an electrical current to the transmitter means based at least in part on the ripple frequency.

21. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein the transmitter means is configured to generate a magnetic field to transfer energy to the vehicle via induction.

22. The apparatus of claim 20 wherein wirelessly transferring power to the vehicle is performed at a system charging frequency and the ripple frequency corresponding to a beat frequency between the vehicle switch mode controller frequency and the system charging frequency.

23. The apparatus of claim 22 further comprising a means for determining the vehicle switch mode controller frequency based on the ripple frequency and the system charging frequency.

24. The apparatus of claim 23 further comprising controller means configured to determine a vehicle identification based on the vehicle switch mode controller frequency.

25. The apparatus of claim 23 further comprising controller means configured to determine a vehicle controller switching duty cycle based on the ripple frequency.

26. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to control a wireless charging system, comprising:

code for detecting a ripple frequency on a transmitter coil circuit, wherein the ripple frequency is associated with a vehicle switch mode controller frequency of a switch mode controller in a vehicle; and

code for providing an electrical current to a coil in the transmitter coil circuit based at least in part on the ripple frequency.

27. The storage medium of claim 26 wherein the code for providing the electrical current to the coil includes a system charging frequency and the code for determining the ripple frequency includes determining a beat frequency between the vehicle switch mode controller frequency and the system charging frequency.

28. The storage medium of claim 27 further comprising code for determining the vehicle switch mode controller frequency based on the ripple frequency and the system charging frequency.

29. The storage medium of claim 28 further comprising code for determining a vehicle identification based on the vehicle switch mode controller frequency.

30. The storage medium of claim 28 further comprising:

code for providing the ripple frequency to a distribution controller; and

code for receiving a command from the distribution controller, wherein the code for providing the electrical current to the coil in the transmitter coil circuit is based at least in part on the command.