SYSTEM FOR INDUCTIVE POWER TRANSFER

• US 20080238364A1
• Filed: 04/02/2007
• Published: 10/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies Incorporated (Visteon Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Visteon Global Technologies Incorporated (Visteon Corporation)
• Inventors: Weber, Charles F., Richlie, Charlie A., Clark, CT Thomas, Green, Bruce S., Tkaczyk, Gary
• Granted Patent: US 7,602,142 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/108
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields
• 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 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

Abstract

An inductive power transfer system including a synchronous drive system having a resonance control module. The resonance control module includes a primary coil module with a primary LC circuit. The resonance control module seeks and detects the resonant frequency of the primary LC circuit. The synchronous drive system further includes a switching coil amplifier for selectively energizing the primary coil to keep the primary LC circuit operating at or as close as possible to its natural resonant frequency. The inductive power transfer system may further include a secondary receiving unit. The secondary receiving unit includes a secondary LC circuit coupled with the primary LC circuit for inductively receiving power. The secondary LC circuit includes an LC filter and a rectifier unit for operating the secondary LC circuit at a mutual resonance with the primary LC circuit.

Claims

1. A synchronous drive system for controlling the amplitude of oscillation in a primary LC circuit comprising;

a primary coil module having a switching coil amplifier communicating with the primary LC circuit for amplifying a pre-amplified source voltage and for outputting an amplified source voltage to the primary LC circuit,

a resonance control module communicating with the primary LC circuit and said switching coil amplifier for detecting the natural resonance frequency of the primary LC circuit and for detecting each actual oscillation of the primary LC circuit over an oscillation cycle and for selectively delivering said pre-amplified source voltage to said switching coil amplifier based on the natural resonance frequency of primary LC circuit and each actual oscillation of the primary LC circuit to control the magnitude of each actual oscillation while synchronously operating the primary LC circuit at approximately natural resonance.

2. The synchronous drive system of claim 1 wherein said resonance control module includes, an oscillation module for detecting the start of an oscillation cycle of the primary LC circuit and for outputting said pre-amplified source voltage.

3. The synchronous drive system of claim 2 wherein said resonance control module includes a phase angle prediction module for outputting a predicted phase angle signal to represent the phase angle of the sinusoidal oscillation of the natural resonance frequency of the primary LC circuit.

4. The synchronous drive system of claim 3 wherein said resonance control module includes a conduction angle module in communication with said phase angle prediction module for outputting a drive termination signal to terminate said pre-amplified source voltage delivered to said switching coil amplifier.

5. The synchronous drive system of claim 4 wherein said resonance control module includes an AC/DC converter module communicating with the primary LC circuit for detecting an AC amplitude of oscillation of the primary LC circuit and for generating an actual resonance amplitude signal being a scaled DC signal representing the actual magnitude of oscillation of the primary LC circuit.

6. The synchronous drive system of claim 5 wherein said resonance control module includes an error module communicating with said AC/DC converter module for comparing said actual resonance amplitude signal to a predetermined desired resonance amplitude signal and for outputting an error feedback signal.

7. The synchronous drive system of claim 6 wherein said resonance control module includes a conduction angle module in communication with said error module for receiving said error feedback signal and for outputting said drive termination signal when said error feedback signal equals said predicted phase angle signal to regulate the amplitude of oscillation of the primary LC circuit.

8. The synchronous drive system of claim 4 wherein said phase angle prediction module includes a sawtooth generator having a sawtooth PNP transistor and having a sawtooth capacitor.

9. The synchronous drive system of claim 8 wherein said sawtooth capacitor has a ground end in communication with a reference point and has a transistor end in communication with the collector of said sawtooth PNP transistor for outputting a predicted phase angle signal for indicating the sawtooth voltage across said sawtooth capacitor to represent the angle of resonant oscillation of said primary LC circuit.

10. The synchronous drive system of claim 9 wherein said primary coil module includes an EMC filter for filtering electronic noise from said amplified source voltage.

11. The synchronous drive system of claim 10 wherein said EMC filter includes an EMC coil having one end in communication with said primary coil module and including an EMC capacitor having one end in communication with the opposite end of said EMC coil.

12. The synchronous drive system of claim 11 further comprising a primary LC circuit including a tank coil and a tank capacitor with said tank capacitor having one end in communication with a reference point.

13. The synchronous drive system of claim 12 wherein said tank coil has one end in communication with the opposite end of said tank capacitor and having an opposite end in communication with the opposite end of each of said EMC coil and said EMC capacitor for receiving said amplified source voltage for inducing current through said tank coil to generate a magnetic field for generating said magnetic field.

14. The synchronous drive system of claim 13 wherein said AC/DC input of said AC/DC converter module is in communication with said tank capacitor for receiving a tank capacitor AC voltage signal for indicating an AC voltage across said tank capacitor and having an AC/DC output for outputting an actual resonance amplitude signal to indicate a scaled DC tank voltage of said AC tank voltage of said tank capacitor.

15. The synchronous drive system of claim 14 wherein said error module includes an error amplifier with a non-inverting input for receiving said desired resonance amplitude signal and with an inverting input for receiving said actual resonance amplitude signal and with an error output for outputting an error feedback signal for indicating the difference between the voltage level of the desired resonance amplitude signal and the voltage level of the actual resonance amplitude signal.

16. The synchronous drive circuit of claim 15 wherein said oscillation module includes a phase comparator having an inverting phase input and having an non-inverting phase input and having a phase output in communication with each of said collector of said sawtooth PNP transistor and said transistor end of said sawtooth capacitor for operating in one of a high impedance state when said sawtooth voltage across said sawtooth capacitor increases and a low impedance state when said sawtooth voltage across said sawtooth capacitor decreases.

17. The synchronous drive system of claim 16 wherein said oscillation module includes an oscillation comparator with a non-inverting oscillation input in communication with said inverting phase input of said phase comparator and with an oscillation output for outputting said pre-amplified source voltage.

18. The synchronous drive system of claim 17 including a feedback resistor and a first feedback capacitor and a second feedback capacitor for providing a feedback path for said tank capacitor AC voltage signal indicating the actual AC amplitude of oscillation of the primary LC circuit.

19. The synchronous drive system of claim 18 wherein said feedback resistor has one end in communication with one end of each of said tank resistor and said tank capacitor and having an opposite end in communication with one end of each of said first feedback capacitor and said second feedback capacitor.

20. The synchronous drive system of claim 19 wherein said first feedback capacitor has an opposite end in communication with each of said inverting feedback input of said oscillation module and said inverting phase input of said phase comparator for delivering said tank capacitor AC voltage signal to said feedback comparator of said oscillator feedback module.

21. The synchronous drive system of claim 20 wherein said second feedback capacitor has an opposite end in communication with a reference point.

22. The synchronous drive system of claim 21 wherein said conduction angle module includes a conduction angle comparator for comparing said predicted phase angle signal with said error feedback signal.

23. The synchronous drive system of claim 22 wherein said conduction angle comparator includes a non-inverting input in communication with said error output of said error module for receiving said error feedback signal and having an inverting input in communication with said collector of said sawtooth PNP transistor for receiving said predicted phase angle signal and having a conduction angle output for outputting a drive termination signal to terminate said pre-amplified source voltage output by said oscillation comparator of said oscillation module when said predicted phase angle signal equals said error feedback signal to operate said primary LC circuit at resonance.

24. The synchronous drive system of claim 23 further comprising a condition module for computing said predetermined desired resonance amplitude signal.

25. The synchronous drive system of claim 24 further comprising a receiver module communicating with said condition module for communicating a status signal to indicate power conditions in a secondary unit.

26. The synchronous drive system of claim 25 wherein said condition module computes said pre-determined desired resonance amplitude signal based on said status signal.

27. The synchronous drive system of claim 1 further comprising;

a secondary coil module for generating a pre-rectified charging voltage,

a rectifier module in communication with said secondary coil module for rectifying said pre-rectified charging voltage and for outputting a rectified charging voltage to charge a battery,

a status module in communication with said rectifier for outputting said status signal,

a transmitter module in communication with said status module and said receiver module for communicating said status signal to said receiver module,

said secondary coil module including a secondary LC circuit in communication with said primary LC circuit and with said rectifier module,

said secondary LC circuit including a secondary coil having one end in communication with said rectifier module for being disposed proximate said magnetic field to induce a current through said secondary coil for generating said pre-rectified charging voltage,

a secondary capacitor having one end in communication with a reference point and having an opposite end in communication with one end of said secondary coil,

said secondary coil module including an LC filter having a filter coil with one end in communication with one end of said secondary coil and having a filter capacitor with one end in communication with a reference point and with an opposite end connected between the ends of said secondary coil and said filter coil,

said rectifier module including a first rectifier diode and a second rectifier diode and a rectifier capacitor,

said first rectifier diode having the anode in communication with a reference point and having the cathode in communication with one end of said filter coil,

said second rectifier diode having the cathode in communication with the positive terminal of said battery and having the anode in communication with the cathode of said first rectifier diode and one end of said filter coil,

said rectifier capacitor having one end in communication with a reference point and having an opposite end in communication with each of the cathode of said second rectifier diode and the positive terminal of said battery.

33. The inductive power transfer system of claim 1 wherein said secondary unit includes a consumer device powered by said secondary receiving circuit.

38. The secondary LC unit of claim 27 wherein said rectifier module includes a half-wave diode rectifier having at least one diode communicating with said LC filter.

39. The secondary LC unit of claim 27 where said rectifier module includes a full-wave bridge rectifier having at least one diode communicating with said LC filter.

40. The secondary LC unit of claim 38 further comprising a battery communicating with said rectifier module for charging a battery.

41. The secondary LC unit of claim 38 further comprising a consumer device communicating with said rectifier module for being powered.

28. An inductive power transfer system for inductively transferring power from a primary unit to a secondary unit comprising:

a synchronous drive system having a resonance control module for generating a voltage source and having a primary coil module for generating an electromagnetic field based on said voltage source,

said primary coil module including a primary LC circuit having a natural resonant frequency for generating said magnetic field based on said source voltage,

a secondary receiving system being located in proximity with said synchronous drive system for receiving said magnetic field and for generating a charging voltage for charging a battery,

said resonance control module circuit being in communication with said primary coil module for detecting the resonant frequency of a primary LC circuit and for selectively powering said primary LC circuit based on said desired resonance amplitude signal and an actual resonance amplitude signal to operate said primary LC circuit at the natural resonance frequency.

29. The inductive power transfer system of claim 28 wherein said resonance control module further comprises a sawtooth generator having a sawtooth PNP transistor and including a sawtooth capacitor.

30. The inductive power transfer system of claim 29 wherein said sawtooth capacitor has a ground end in communication with a reference point and has a transistor end in communication with the collector of said sawtooth PNP transistor for outputting a predicted phase angle signal for indicating the sawtooth voltage across said sawtooth capacitor.

31. The inductive power transfer system of claim 30 further comprising a conduction angle module having a conduction angle comparator for selectively outputting a drive termination signal to terminate said source voltage to said primary coil module based on said predicted phase angle signal.

32. The inductive power transfer system of claim 31 wherein said secondary unit includes a battery charged by said secondary receiving circuit.

34. A secondary LC unit for receiving inductively transferred power from a primary LC circuit generating a magnetic field comprising;

a secondary LC circuit having an secondary capacitor and a secondary coil for being placed in proximity to the magnetic field of the primary LC circuit operating at natural resonance for generating a pre-rectified charge voltage,

a LC filter communicating with said secondary coil module for inhibiting electromagnetic emission generated by said secondary module, and

a rectifier module communicating with said LC filter for converting said pre-rectified charge voltage into a rectified charge voltage,

said secondary coil communicating with the primary LC circuit for operating the secondary LC circuit at a mutual resonance with the primary LC circuit to increase the efficiency of power transferred between the primary LC circuit and the secondary LC circuit and for improving special freedom.

35. The secondary LC unit of claim 34 wherein said secondary capacitor includes one end connected to a reference point and includes an opposite end connected in series with one end of said secondary coil.

36. The secondary LC unit of claim 35 wherein said LC filter includes a filter coil having an resonance end for communicating with said secondary coil operating at natural resonance and having a rectifier end for communicating with said rectifier module.

37. The secondary LC unit of claim 36 wherein said LC filter includes a filter capacitor having one end connected to said resonance end of said filter coil and having an opposite end connected to a reference point.