Wireless power antenna alignment adjustment system for vehicles

• US 10,343,535 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2011
• Issued: 07/09/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WiTricity Corporation
• Original Assignee: WiTricity Corporation
• Inventors: Cook, Nigel P., Sieber, Lukas, Widmer, Hanspeter
• Primary Examiner(s): Pelton, Nathaniel R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dibenedetto, Michael N
• Application Number:
  US13/082,229
• Publication Number:
  US 20110254503A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,015 Days
• Field of Search: 320109, 343711, 343713, 343786, 701 22, 701300, 701400
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/147 electro magnetic [EMI]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• 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 53/22 Constructional details or arrangements of charging converters specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/30 Constructional details of charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/37 using optical position determination, e.g. using cameras
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• 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 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 30/12 : Remote or cooperative charging

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments are directed to wireless charging and wireless power alignment of wireless power antennas associated with a vehicle. A wireless power charging apparatus includes an antenna including first and second orthogonal magnetic elements for detecting a horizontal component of a magnetic field generated from a second charging base antenna. A processor determines a directional vector between the antennas.

Claims

1. An apparatus for receiving wireless power at a vehicle, comprising:

a first resonant antenna configured to;

detect a direction of a horizontal component of a magnetic field generated by a resonant transmit antenna circuit driven by a power conversion circuit, and

receive wireless power from the magnetic field to charge or power a load of the vehicle coupled to the first resonant antenna after alignment with the resonant transmit antenna circuit, wherein the first resonant antenna is coupled to and positioned on a bottom surface of the vehicle; and

a processor configured to;

determine a direction to a location of the resonant transmit antenna circuit based on the detected direction of the horizontal component of the magnetic field,

provide guidance information for guiding the vehicle to the resonant transmit antenna circuit and positioning the first resonant antenna to align with the resonant transmit antenna circuit based on the determined direction of the location of the resonant transmit antenna circuit, and

provide alignment information for aligning the first resonant antenna with the resonant transmit antenna circuit independent of guiding the vehicle to the resonant transmit antenna circuit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a first magnetic element and a second magnetic element disposed on a common ferrite disk, wherein the first and second magnetic elements are orthogonal to each other.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the common ferrite disk is art of the first resonant antenna circuit used for wireless energy transfer.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein each of the first magnetic element and the second magnetic element of the first resonant antenna circuit comprises a ferrite rod.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first resonant antenna circuit comprises one of a very low frequency (VLF) antenna circuit and a low frequency (LF) antenna circuit.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

at least one mechanical device configured for adjusting a position of at least one resonant antenna circuit of the first and second resonant antenna circuits in at least one of an X, Y, and Z direction.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the at least one mechanical device includes a gear shaft operably coupled to a drive mechanism configured to drive an adjustment of the position of the at least one first resonant antenna circuit.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the at least one mechanical device includes a gear shaft operably coupled to a drive mechanism configured to drive an adjustment of the position of the at least one second resonant antenna circuit.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the at least one mechanical device including a gear shaft performs an excentric rotation of the at least one first resonant antenna circuit.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the at least one mechanical device includes a pantograph to move the first resonant antenna circuit in a Z direction.

11. The apparatus of claim 6, further comprising:

at least one sensor configured to detect mechanical resistance caused by an object on ground restricting movements of the second resonant antenna circuit in at least one of an X, Y, and Z direction.

12. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first resonant antenna circuit is housed within a cavity of an electric vehicle.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the electric vehicle is immobilized when at least one resonant antenna circuit is deployed from the cavity.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising defrosting of the resonant antenna circuit in case the resonant antenna circuit cannot be deployed.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein defrosting is accomplished by injecting a current into the resonant antenna circuit.

16. The apparatus claim 7, wherein the at least one mechanical device is further configured for adjusting a position of a battery unit coupled with the first resonant antenna circuit in at least one of an X, Y, and Z direction.

17. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an autopilot system for positioning the first resonant antenna circuit to be at least partially aligned with the second resonant antenna circuit.

18. The apparatus of claim 1, further including a fine alignment system configured to mechanically adjust a position of the first resonant antenna circuit, the second resonant antenna circuit, or both in one or more directions to enable for fine alignment of associated resonant antenna circuits within an electric vehicle wireless charging system.

19. The apparatus of claim 1, further including a fine alignment system configured to mechanically adjust a position of the second resonant antenna circuit relative to the first resonant antenna circuit in at least one of a direction is performed by using the vehicle'"'"'s own traction system.

20. An apparatus for receiving wireless power at a vehicle, comprising:

means for detecting a direction of a horizontal component of a magnetic field generated by at least one resonant transmit antenna circuit driven by a power conversion circuit, the magnetic field detecting means positioned on a bottom surface of the vehicle;

means for determining a direction of a location of the at least one resonant transmit antenna circuit from the magnetic field detecting means based on the detected direction of the horizontal component of the magnetic field;

means for providing guidance information for guiding the vehicle to the resonant transmit antenna circuit and positioning the magnetic field detecting means to align with the at least one resonant transmit circuit based on the determined direction of the location of the at least one resonant transmit antenna circuit;

means for providing alignment information for aligning the magnetic field detecting means with the at least one resonant transmit antenna circuit independent of guiding the vehicle to the resonant transmit antenna circuit; and

means for receiving energy from the magnetic field to charge or power a device coupled to the means for receiving.