INDUCTIVE HARNESS COUPLING AND COMMUNICATION FOR DISTRIBUTED ARCHITECTURES

• US 20150210229A1
• Filed: 01/26/2015
• Published: 07/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cummins Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cummins Incorporated
• Inventors: Milvert, Thomas J., Gonzalez, Miguel A. Jr., Gahimer, Joseph L., Delforge, Adrian, De, Anirban
• Granted Patent: US 10,277,080 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 5/005 without mechanical contact between the collector and the power supply line
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/03 for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems or for circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00009 using pulsed signals
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/46 for ICE-powered road vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/40 using two or more transmitting or receiving devices H02J50/50 takes precedence
• 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: H04B 2203/5416 by adding signals to the wave form of the power source
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5483 using coupling circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/56 Circuits for coupling, blocking, or by-passing of signals

Abstract

An apparatus includes an AC power module that provides alternating current (“AC”) electrical power; a power distribution wiring harness that receives the AC electrical power from the AC power module; a signal injection module that injects a communication signal on the power distribution wiring harness using signal modulation; and a plurality of inductive coupling modules, each inductive coupling module inductively receiving power and the communication signal from a location along the power distribution wiring harness, wherein each inductive coupling module is structured to transmit at least one of the power and the communication signal to one or more loads, wherein each inductive coupling module is separate from other inductive coupling modules in the plurality of inductive coupling modules.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

an AC power module structured to provide alternating current (“

AC”

) electrical power;

a power distribution wiring harness structured to receive the AC electrical power from the AC power module;

two or more electrically-powered loads in a power balanced relationship with each other; and

a plurality of inductive coupling modules wirelessly coupled to the power distribution wiring harness and electrically coupled to the two or more electrically-powered loads, wherein at least one inductive coupling module is structured to inductively receive AC electrical power from the power distribution wiring harness and transmit the AC electrical power to at least one of the two or more electrically-powered loads.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the two or more electrically-powered loads are electrically coupled to at least one power storage device, wherein the at least one power storage device is structured to selectively provide electrical power to at least one of the two or more electrically-powered loads.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a signal injection module structured to inject a communication signal on the power distribution wiring harness using signal modulation; and

a signal receiver module structured to filter the communication signal from the power received from an inductive coupling module, wherein the communication signal comprises one or more frequencies that are higher than a fundamental frequency of an AC voltage waveform of the AC electrical power;

wherein the two or more electrically-powered loads correspond to a sensor circuit in a vehicle.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the signal injection module is structured to inject the communication signal during a predefined electrical noise range of operation in the vehicle, wherein the predefined electrical noise range of operation corresponds with a low electrical noise operating range.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the signal injection module is structured to inject a burst communication signal during the low electrical noise operating range, wherein the burst communication signal includes multiple messages for one or more of the two or more loads.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an AC-to-DC converter electrically coupled to the at least one inductive coupling module, wherein the AC-to-DC converter is structured to receive the AC electrical power and convert the AC electrical power to an output DC power, wherein the AC-to-DC converter is structured to provide the output DC power to a desired load in the two or more electrically-powered loads;

wherein the AC power module comprises a DC-to-AC inverter structured to invert direct current (“

DC”

) power from a DC voltage source to the AC electrical power.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an AC voltage source structured to provide the AC electrical power to the AC power module.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power distribution wiring harness includes a twisted-pair wiring harness for a vehicle.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the inductive coupling module includes an inductive coupler, wherein the inductive coupler is structured to receive the AC electrical power inductively from the power distribution wiring harness.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the inductive coupler includes a split-ring resonator.

11. A vehicle, comprising:

an engine;

a battery structured to provide direct current (“

DC”

) power;

an AC power module electrically coupled to the battery, the AC power module including a DC-to-AC inverter structured to invert the direct current power from the battery to alternating current (“

AC”

) electrical power;

a power distribution wiring harness that includes at least two wires, the power distribution wiring harness electrically coupled to the engine and the AC power module, wherein the power distribution wiring harness is structured to receive AC electrical power from the AC power module;

two or more loads, wherein the two or more loads are in a power balanced relationship with one another; and

a plurality of inductive coupling modules wirelessly coupled to the power distribution wiring harness and electrically coupled to the two or more loads in the vehicle, and wherein at least one inductive coupling module is structured to inductively receive AC electrical power from the power distribution wiring harness and transmit the AC electrical power to at least one of the two or more loads in the vehicle.

12. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein the two or more power balanced loads are electrically coupled to at least one power storage device, wherein the at least power storage device is structured to selectively provide electrical power to at least one of the two or more power balanced loads.

13. The vehicle of claim 11, further comprising:

a signal injection module structured to inject a communication signal for a desired load of the two or more loads on the power distribution wiring harness using signal modulation; and

a signal receiver module structured to filter the communication signal from power received from the at least one inductive coupling module;

wherein the two or more loads represent a sensor circuit for the vehicle.

14. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the signal injection module is structured to inject the communication signal during a predefined electrical noise range of operation in the vehicle, wherein the predefined electrical noise range of operation corresponds with a low electrical noise operating range.

15. The vehicle of claim 14, wherein the signal injection module is structured to inject a burst communication signal during the low electrical noise operating range, wherein the burst communication signal includes multiple messages for one or more of the two or more loads.

16. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the communication signal includes one or more frequencies that are higher than a fundamental frequency of an AC voltage waveform of the provided AC electrical power.

17. The vehicle of claim 16, wherein the one or more frequencies are between approximately 5 and 6 megahertz, and wherein the AC voltage waveform is less than or equal to 150 kilohertz.

18. The vehicle of claim 13, wherein the inductive coupling modules are structured to provide bi-directional communication, the bi-directional communication is structured to include providing the communication signal from the signal receiver module to an inductive coupling module and providing the communication signal from the inductive coupling module to the signal receiver module.

19. The vehicle of claim 11, wherein at least one inductive coupling module is electrically coupled to a fan and an air compressor, and wherein at least one another inductive coupling module is electrically coupled to an alternator.

20. A method, comprising:

providing, by an AC power module, alternating current (“

AC”

) electrical power;

providing two or more electrically-powered loads in a power balanced relationship with one another;

receiving, by a power distribution wiring harness in a vehicle, the AC electrical power;

receiving, by an inductive coupling module, the AC electrical power from the power distribution wiring harness, wherein the AC electrical power is received inductively from the power distribution wiring harness; and

transmitting, by the inductive coupling module, the received AC electrical power to at least one of the two or more electrically-powered loads.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the two or more electrically-powered loads are electrically coupled to at least one power storage device, wherein the at least power storage device is structured to selectively provide electrical power to at least one of the two or more power balanced loads.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising:

receiving, by the power distribution wiring harness, a modulated communication signal;

filtering, by the inductive coupling module, the modulated communication signal from the power received from the inductive coupling module;

wherein the two or more loads correspond to a sensor circuit for the vehicle.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising providing, by the power distribution wiring harness, the modulated communication signal to the inductive coupling module, wherein the inductive coupling module is structured to provide the modulated communication signal to at least one of the two or more electrically-powered loads.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising providing the modulated communication signal during a predefined electrical noise range, wherein the predefined electrical noise range corresponds with a low electrical noise operating range.

25. The method of claim 24, further comprising providing a burst communication signal during the low electrical noise operating range, wherein the burst communication signal includes multiple messages for one or more of the two or more loads.