Inductive wireless power transfer systems

• US 10,414,279 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2014
• Issued: 09/17/2019
• 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:
  US14/577,457
• Publication Number:
  US 20160181820A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,733 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• 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: H01F 27/36 Electric or magnetic shields or screens movable for varying inductance H01F21/10
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/361 made of combinations of electrically conductive material and ferromagnetic 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: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• 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

Abstract

A wireless power transfer system has a coil assembly including a ferrite pad and a pair of spaced apart inductive coils on the ferrite pad, and a switching network that, in response to an indication of a corresponding inductive coil assembly configuration, controls a direction of current flow through each of the coils to selectively operate the coils in a two-pole mode or a three-pole mode.

Claims

1. A power transfer system comprising:

a ferrite pad;

a pair of spaced apart inductive coils positioned exclusively on a same single side of the ferrite pad; and

a controller configured to, in response to a message indicating a pole configuration of a corresponding inductive coil assembly, arrange a switching network to control a direction of current flow through each of the coils to selectively operate the coils in a two-pole mode or a three-pole mode.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the directions of current flow through the coils are same in the three-pole mode.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the directions of current flow through the coils are opposite in the two-pole mode.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the coils are primary coils.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the coils are secondary coils.

6. A wireless power transfer system comprising:

an inductive coil assembly including a ferrite pad and no more than two spaced apart inductive coils on the ferrite pad; and

a switching network configured to control a direction of current flow through each of the coils such that the coils generate a magnetic flux distribution having three poles, and in response to an indication of coil misalignment, to short one of the coils, wherein the directions of the current flow through the coils are opposite.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the coils are wrapped around the pad.

8. The system of claim 6, wherein the coils are primary coils.

9. A wireless power transfer system comprising:

an inductive coil assembly including a ferrite pad and no more than two spaced apart inductive coils on the ferrite pad, wherein the coils are wrapped around the pad; and

a switching network configured to control a direction of current flow through each of the coils such that the coils generate a magnetic flux distribution having three poles, and in response to an indication of coil misalignment, to short one of the coils.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the directions of the current flow through the coils are opposite.

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