WIRELESS ENERGY TRANSFER FOR VEHICLES

• US 20120119575A1
• Filed: 10/18/2011
• Published: 05/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WiTricity Corporation
• Original Assignee: WiTricity Corporation
• Inventors: Kurs, Andre B., Karalis, Aristeidis, Soljacic, Marin, Hall, Katherine L., Kesler, Morris P., Campanella, Andrew J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,933,594 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/12 Bikes
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/18 Buses
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/36 Vehicles designed to transport cargo, e.g. trucks
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/40 Working vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/42 Fork lift trucks
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/10 DC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/525 Temperature of converter or components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/527 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/529 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/662 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/72 Charging station selection relying on external data
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/32 of electricity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/003 relating to inverters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 : Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 : DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• 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: 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 53/302 : 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 53/39 : with position-responsive activation of primary coils
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/51 : Photovoltaic means
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/53 : Batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/55 : Capacitors
• 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 53/665 : Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• 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 2310/48 : for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/322 : the battery being on-board an electric or hybrid vehicle, e.g. vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G], power aggregation, use of the battery for network load balancing, coordinated or cooperative battery charging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 : of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/50 : using additional energy repeaters between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/60 : responsive to the presence of foreign objects, e.g. detection of living beings
• 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 50/90 : involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• 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: Y02P 90/60 : Electric or hybrid propulsion means for production processes
• 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
• 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 includes 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, 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; and wherein the field of at least one of the first electromagnetic resonator and the second electromagnetic resonator is shaped using a conducting surface to avoid a loss-inducing object.

Claims

1. A vehicle powering wireless receiver for use with a first electromagnetic resonator coupled to a power supply, the first electromagnetic resonator 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 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, 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; and

wherein the field of at least one of the first electromagnetic resonator and the second electromagnetic resonator is shaped using a conducting surface to avoid a loss-inducing object.

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

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

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

5. The wireless power 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.

6. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein the second electromagnetic resonator is moveable relative to the first electromagnetic resonator while power is transferred.

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 located on the vehicle and coupled to a load associated with the drive system of the vehicle to provide non-radiative wireless power to the second electromagnetic resonator, 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; and

wherein the field of at least one of the first electromagnetic resonator and the second electromagnetic resonator is shaped using a conducting surface to avoid a loss-inducing object.

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

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, 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; and

wherein the field of at least one of the first electromagnetic resonator and the second electromagnetic resonator is shaped using a conducting surface to avoid a loss-inducing object.

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