Wireless electric power sharing between vehicles

• US 10,581,260 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2017
• Issued: 03/03/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Fan, Si Bin, Liang, Ge, Sheng, Hao, Zhang, Hai Dong, Zhu, Jinfan
• Primary Examiner(s): Pacheco, Alexis B
• Application Number:
  US15/810,063
• Publication Number:
  US 20180105056A1
• Time in Patent Office: 842 Days
• Field of Search: 320110
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 15/42 Adaptation of control equipment on vehicle for actuation from alternative parts of the vehicle or from alternative vehicles of the same vehicle train B60L15/32 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/622 by satellite navigation
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/70 Interactions with external data bases, e.g. traffic centres
• 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 53/32 by charging in short intervals along the itinerary, e.g. during short stops
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• 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 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• 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: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034
• 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

Abstract

The disclosure involves wireless electric power sharing between vehicles. A first vehicle sends a charging request, wherein the first vehicle is at least partially powered by a first on-board rechargeable electricity storage. The first vehicle receives a response to the charging request from a second vehicle which is at least partially powered by a second on-board rechargeable electricity storage, and a communication channel is established between the first and second vehicles. The first on-board rechargeable electricity storage is charged using energy stored in the second on-board rechargeable electricity storage and wirelessly transferred from the second vehicle to the first vehicle. The charging is controlled with information exchanged between the first and second vehicles over the communication channel.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

sending a charging request by a first vehicle which is at least partially powered by a first on-board rechargeable electricity storage to a plurality of vehicles within a particular range from the first vehicle that are able to provide the charge;

receiving a response to the charging request from a second vehicle which is at least partially powered by a second on-board rechargeable electricity storage;

establishing a communication channel between the first and second vehicles; and

charging the first on-board rechargeable electricity storage using energy stored in the second on-board rechargeable electricity storage and wirelessly transferred from the second vehicle to the first vehicle, wherein the charging is controlled with information exchanged between the first and second vehicles over the communication channel.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the charging occurs while both the first and the second vehicles are in motion.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein a relative position of the first vehicle with respect to the second vehicle is automatically adjusted during the charging to ensure effective energy transfer from the second vehicle to the first vehicle by keeping a predetermined distance between the first vehicle and second vehicle.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the relative position is adjusted based on the information exchanged between the first and second vehicles over the communication channel.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the energy is wirelessly transferred through coils provided in the first vehicle and the second vehicle, and wherein a common magnetic resonant frequency of the coils is negotiated between the first and second vehicles over the communication channel.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the first vehicle comprises a plurality of energy receivers disposed at different positions of the first vehicle, each of the energy receivers configured to charge the first on-board rechargeable electricity storage, and wherein at least one of the plurality of energy receivers having the highest coupling efficiency with the second vehicle is selected to charge the first on-board rechargeable electricity storage by receiving the energy from the second vehicle.

7. The method of claim 3, wherein:

at least one of the first vehicle and the second vehicle monitors a relative distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle using at least one on-board sensor; and

information pertaining to the relative distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle is communicated between the first vehicle and the second vehicle.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein:

the at least one of the first vehicle and the second vehicle monitors a relative distance between the first vehicle and the second vehicle while the first vehicle and the second vehicle are in motion.