MODULAR INDUCTIVE POWER TRANSFER POWER SUPPLY AND METHOD OF OPERATION

• US 20140232197A1
• Filed: 02/21/2013
• Published: 08/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WiTricity Corporation
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Keeling, Nicholas A., Kissin, Michael, Beaver, Jonathan
• Granted Patent: US 9,876,535 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/83
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/00 Electric devices on electrically-propelled vehicles for safety purposes; Monitoring operating variables, e.g. speed, deceleration or energy consumption methods or circuit arrangements for monitoring or controlling batteries or fuel cells B60L58/00
• 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 50/66 Arrangements of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/34 Plug-like or socket-like devices specially adapted for contactless inductive charging of electric vehicles positioning means for charging devices using inductive energy transfer B60L53/38
• 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: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/402 the two or more transmitting or the two or more receiving devices being integrated in the same unit, e.g. power mats with several coils or antennas with several sub-antennas
• 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 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• 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: H02M 1/0077 Plural converter units whose outputs are connected in series
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/1584 with a plurality of power processing stages connected in parallel
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• 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

Abstract

This disclosure provides systems, methods and apparatus for connecting and operating an AC source to a load. In one aspect a power supply topology is provided which may be of particular use in the area of wireless power transfer. The topology allows for multiple sources to be operatively connected to a single conductive structure configured to generate a field, maintaining overall system power while lowering the power output of each source.

Claims

1. A wireless power transmitter, comprising:

a conductive structure configured to generate a field; and

a plurality of electrical circuits operatively connected to the conductive structure and driven by a plurality of sources to provide the conductive structure with a substantially constant current.

2. The wireless power transmitter of claim 1, wherein an electrical characteristic of each electrical circuit of the plurality of electrical circuits is based on at least an impedance of the conductive structure and a number of electrical circuits in the plurality of electrical circuits.

3. The wireless power transmitter of claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrical circuits comprises a plurality of inductors and a plurality of capacitors.

4. The wireless power transmitter of claim 3, wherein the plurality of capacitors maintain a tuning of the transmitter at a resonant frequency.

5. The wireless power transmitter of claim 3, wherein the plurality of capacitors are connected in series with the conductive structure.

6. The wireless power transmitter of claim 3, wherein the plurality of electrical circuits comprises a plurality of transformers.

7. The wireless power transmitter of claim 6, wherein each source of the plurality of sources is operatively connected to a different capacitor of the plurality of capacitors via an inductor of the plurality of inductors and a transformer of the plurality of transformers.

8. The wireless power transmitter of claim 6, wherein each transformer of the plurality of transformers is operatively connected between a capacitor of the plurality of capacitors and an inductor of the plurality of inductors.

9. The wireless power transmitter of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of an electrical circuit of the plurality of electrical circuits forms a removable module.

10. The wireless power transmitter of claim 9, wherein the removable module may be removed while the transmitter is transmitting power.

11. The wireless power transmitter of claim 9, wherein the transmitter remains tuned without regard to whether any modules are removed.

12. The wireless power transmitter of claim 1, wherein the transmitter remains tuned without regard to a number of the sources that are enabled.

13. The wireless power transmitter of claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to monitor a parameter and determine a status of each source of the plurality of sources.

14. The wireless power transmitter of claim 13, wherein a source of the plurality of sources is operatively disconnected subsequent to the controller detecting a fault.

15. The wireless power transmitter of claim 13, wherein at least a portion of an electrical circuit of the plurality of electrical circuits is operatively disconnected subsequent to the controller detecting a fault.

16. The wireless power transmitter of claim 1, wherein each source of the plurality of sources comprises an H-bridge.

17. The wireless power transmitter of claim 16, wherein each source of the plurality of sources is powered by a common DC bus.

18. The wireless power transmitter of claim 1, wherein a disabled source of the plurality of sources is enabled upon the controller detecting an increased load.

19. The wireless power transmitter of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of controllers, each associated with a source of the plurality of sources and an electrical circuit of the plurality of electrical circuits, each controller configured to monitor a parameter of and to determine a status of the associated source and electrical circuit.

20. The wireless power transmitter of claim 19, wherein the plurality of controllers communicate via a communications link.

21. A method of wirelessly transmitting power, comprising:

providing a substantially constant current in a conductive structure via a plurality of sources;

generating a magnetic field via the conductive structure; and

operatively disconnecting at least one source of the plurality of sources from the conductive structure.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the current remains substantially constant upon operatively disconnecting the at least one source of the plurality of sources.

23. A wireless power transmitter, comprising:

means for providing power;

means for generating a magnetic field; and

means for connecting the means for providing power to the means for generating a magnetic field, the means for connecting comprising means for tuning the transmitter to a resonant frequency, the means for connecting further comprising means for providing a substantially constant current in the means for generating the magnetic field.

24. The wireless power transmitter of claim 23, further comprising means for operatively disconnecting at least a portion of the means for providing power from the means for generating a magnetic field and wherein the current remains substantially constant upon disconnection.

25. The wireless power transmitter of claim 23, further comprising means for operatively disconnecting at least a portion of the means for connecting from the means for generating a magnetic field and wherein the current remains substantially constant upon disconnection.