CHARGING PROBE CIRCUIT

• US 20100085777A1
• Filed: 12/08/2009
• Published: 04/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 10/19/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: George Sotiriou
• Original Assignee: George Sotiriou
• Inventors: Sotiriou, George
• Granted Patent: US 8,050,059 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 363/15
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/20 Charging or discharging characterised by the power electronics converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/005 Mechanical details of housing or structure aiming to accommodate the power transfer means, e.g. mechanical integration of coils, antennas or transducers into emitting or receiving devices
• 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 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0068 Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence

Abstract

Various example embodiments are disclosed. According to one example embodiment, a charging probe may include an alternating current (AC) input configured to receive current from an AC source, a rectifier circuit configured to rectify the current received from the AC source, a primary coil, and a control circuit configured to convert the rectified current into a regulated voltage across a primary coil. The primary coil may be configured to induce a magnetic field from the regulated voltage.

Claims

1. A charging probe circuit comprising:

an alternating current (AC) input configured to receive current from an AC source;

a rectifier circuit configured to rectify the current received from the AC source;

a primary coil;

a control circuit configured to convert the rectified current into a regulated voltage across the primary coil,

wherein the primary coil is configured to induce a magnetic field from the regulated voltage.

2. The charging probe circuit of claim 1, wherein the rectifier circuit includes a bridge rectifier circuit.

3. The charging probe circuit of claim 1, wherein the control circuit includes:

a capacitor coupled to the primary coil; and

an off-line regulator coupled to the capacitor, the off-line regulator circuit being configured to regulate the voltage across the primary coil by controlling a voltage across the capacitor, the off-line regulator controlling the voltage across the capacitor by controlling a current flowing into or out of the off-line regulator based on the voltage across the capacitor.

4. The charging probe circuit of claim 1, wherein the control circuit includes:

an off-line regulator coupled to the primary coil; and

an inductor coupled to the rectifier circuit at a first end and coupled to the off-line regulator at a second end.

5. The charging probe circuit of claim 1, wherein the control circuit includes:

an off-line regulator, the off-line regulator including a source coupled to a first end of the primary coil and a drain coupled to a first end of a capacitor; and

the capacitor, the capacitor including the first end coupled to the drain of the off-line regulator and a second end coupled to a second end of the primary coil.

6. The charging probe circuit of claim 1, wherein the control circuit further includes a Pi filter configured to reduce ripple voltage across the rectifier circuit.

7. The charging probe of claim 1, wherein the control circuit includes:

an inductor;

a first capacitor having a first end coupled to a first end of the rectifier circuit and to a first end of the inductor, and a second end coupled to a second end of the rectifier circuit and to a first end of the primary coil;

a second capacitor;

wherein the first end of the inductor is coupled to the first end of the first capacitor and to the first end of the rectifier circuit, and wherein the inductor includes a second end coupled to a first end of a second capacitor; and

wherein the second capacitor includes a first end coupled to the second end of the inductor, and wherein the second capacitor further includes a second end coupled to the second end of the rectifier circuit and the first end of the primary coil.

8. The charging probe circuit of claim 7, wherein the control circuit further includes:

an off-line regulator including;

a drain coupled to the second end of the inductor and to the first end of the second capacitor;

a control coupled to a first end of a third capacitor;

the third capacitor;

a source coupled to a second end of the third capacitor and to a second end of the primary coil; and

wherein the third capacitor includes a first end coupled to the control pin and a second end coupled to the source pin and to the second end of the primary coil.

9. The charging probe circuit of claim 8, wherein the control circuit further comprises:

first resistor;

a second resistor;

a diode;

a fourth capacitor including a first end coupled to the source, the second end of the third capacitor, and the second end of the primary coil, the fourth capacitor further including a second end coupled to a first end of the first resistor and a cathode end of the diode;

wherein the first resistor includes a first end coupled to the second end of the fourth capacitor and the cathode end of the diode, the first resistor further including a second end coupled to the first end of the third capacitor and to the control;

wherein the diode includes the cathode end coupled to the first end of the first resistor and to the second end of the fourth capacitor, the diode further including an anode end coupled to a first end of the second resistor; and

wherein the second resistor includes the first end coupled to the anode end of the diode, the second resistor further including a second end coupled to the second end of the second capacitor, the second end of the first capacitor, the second end of the bridge circuit, and the first end of the primary coil.

10. The charging probe circuit of claim 1, wherein a first end of the primary coil is coupled to the control circuit, and wherein a second end of the primary coil is coupled to the rectifier circuit.

11. The charging probe circuit of claim 1, wherein the primary coil is configured to induce the magnetic field, the magnetic field having a frequency between about ten Hertz and about one hundred Hertz.

12. The charging probe circuit of claim 1, wherein the primary coil extends away from the AC input, the rectifier circuit, and the control circuit.