WIRELESS ENERGY TRANSFER FOR VEHICLES

• US 20120112535A1
• Filed: 10/19/2011
• Published: 05/10/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: WiTricity Corporation
• Original Assignee: WiTricity Corporation
• Inventors: Karalis, Aristeidis, Kurs, Andre B., Soljacic, Marin, Campanella, Andrew J., Kesler, Morris P., Hall, Katherine L.
• Application Number:
  US13/277,101
• Publication Number:
  US 20120112535A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• 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: B60L 53/124 Detection or removal of foreign bodies
• 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 53/302 Cooling of charging equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/36 by positioning the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/64 Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 55/00 Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/40 The network being an on-board power network, i.e. within a vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/40 Automatic matching of load impedance to source impedance
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• 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
• 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 10/126 : the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A vehicle powering wireless receiver for use with a first electromagnetic resonator coupled to a power supply. The wireless receiver including a load configured to power the drive system of a vehicle using electrical power, and a second electromagnetic resonator adapted to be housed upon the vehicle configured to be coupled to the load, wherein the second electromagnetic resonator is moveable relative to the first electromagnetic resonator while power is transferred, the second electromagnetic resonator configured to be wirelessly coupled to the first electromagnetic resonator to provide resonant, non-radiative wireless power to the second electromagnetic resonator from the first electromagnetic resonator, and a second electromagnetic resonator adapted to be housed upon the vehicle and comprising an inductive loop and configured to be coupled to the load via a capacitive network comprising at least one capacitor in series with the inductive loop and one capacitor in parallel with the inductive loop.

Claims

1. A vehicle powering wireless receiver for use with a first electromagnetic resonator coupled to a power supply, first electromagnetic resonator having a mode with a resonant frequency w₁, an intrinsic loss rate G₁, and a first Q-factor Q₁=w₁/2G₁, the wireless receiver comprising:

a load configured to power the drive system of a vehicle using electrical power; and

a second electromagnetic resonator adapted to be housed upon the vehicle and configured to be coupled to the load via a capacitive network comprising at least one capacitor in series with an inductive loop and one capacitor in parallel with an inductive loop, the second electromagnetic resonator having a mode with a resonant frequency w₂, an intrinsic loss rate G₂, and a second Q-factor Q₂=w₂/2G₂;

wherein the second electromagnetic resonator is moveable relative to the first electromagnetic resonator while power is transferred; and

wherein the second electromagnetic resonator is configured to be wirelessly coupled to the first electromagnetic resonator to provide resonant, non-radiative wireless power to the second electromagnetic resonator from the first electromagnetic resonator.

2. The wireless receiver of claim 1, wherein the second electromagnetic resonator is configured to be disposed on the under-carriage of a vehicle.

3. The wireless receiver of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an electric car.

4. The wireless receiver of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a hybrid car.

5. The wireless receiver of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic resonators are of substantially different size.

6. The wireless receiver of claim 1, wherein a parameter of at least one of the electromagnetic resonators is tuned to optimize the power transferred based on the configuration of the vehicle.

7. A power source for wirelessly providing power to a wireless receiver of at least partially electrically powered vehicle, the power source comprising:

a power supply, the power supply configured to supply power at a rate sufficient to charge the battery of a vehicle that is driven at least in part by electrical power; and

a first electromagnetic resonator coupled to the power supply and having a mode with a resonant frequency ω

₁, an intrinsic loss rate Γ

₁, and a first Q-factor Q₁=ω

₁/2Γ

₁, the first electromagnetic resonator housed in a housing configured to be disposed in proximity to the vehicle;

wherein the first electromagnetic resonator is configured to be wirelessly coupled to a second electromagnetic resonator to provide non-radiative wireless power to the second electromagnetic resonator,

wherein the second electromagnetic resonator is adapted to be housed on the vehicle and coupled to a load associated with the drive system of the vehicle via a capacitive network comprising at least one capacitor in series with the inductive loop and one capacitor in parallel with the inductive loop,

wherein the second electromagnetic resonator comprises a mode with a resonant frequency ω

₂, an intrinsic loss rate Γ

₂, and a second Q-factor Q₂=ω

₂/2Γ

₂, and

wherein the second electromagnetic resonator is moveable relative to the first electromagnetic resonator while power is transferred.

8. The power source of claim 7, wherein the second electromagnetic resonator is configured to be disposed on the under-carriage of a vehicle.

9. The power source of claim 7, wherein the vehicle is an electric car.

10. The power source of claim 7, wherein the vehicle is a hybrid car.

11. The power source of claim 7, wherein a parameter of at least one of the electromagnetic resonators is tuned to optimize the power transferred based on the configuration of the vehicle.

12. The power source of claim 7, wherein the electromagnetic resonators are of substantially different size.

13. A vehicle wireless power system, comprising:

a power supply, the power supply configured to supply power at a rate sufficient to charge the battery of a vehicle that is driven at least in part by electrical power;

a first electromagnetic resonator coupled to the power supply and having a mode with a resonant frequency ω

₁, an intrinsic loss rate Γ

₁, and a first Q-factor Q₁=ω

₁/2Γ

₁, the first electromagnetic resonator housed in a housing configured to be disposed in proximity to the vehicle;

a load configured to power the drive system of the vehicle using electrical power; and

a second electromagnetic resonator adapted to be housed upon the vehicle and configured to be coupled to the load via a capacitive network, the second electromagnetic resonator comprising at least one capacitor in series with an inductive loop and one capacitor in parallel with an inductive loop, the second electromagnetic resonator having a mode with a resonant frequency ω

2, an intrinsic loss rate Γ

2, and a second Q-factor Q2 =ω

2/2Γ

2,

wherein the second electromagnetic resonator is configured to be wirelessly coupled to the first electromagnetic resonator to provide resonant, non-radiative wireless power to the second electromagnetic resonator from the first electromagnetic resonator,

wherein the second electromagnetic resonator is moveable relative to the first electromagnetic resonator while power is transferred.

14. The wireless power system of claim 13, wherein the second electromagnetic resonator is configured to be disposed on the under-carriage of a vehicle.

15. The wireless power system of claim 13, wherein the vehicle is an electric car.

16. The wireless power system of claim 13, wherein the vehicle is a hybrid car.

17. The wireless power system of claim 13, wherein a parameter of at least one of the electromagnetic resonators is tuned to optimize the power transferred based on the configuration of the vehicle.

18. The wireless power system of claim 13, wherein the electromagnetic resonators are of substantially different size.