BASE MAGNETICS AND SEQUENCE DESIGN FOR DYNAMIC SYSTEMS

• US 20150298560A1
• Filed: 06/18/2014
• Published: 10/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WiTricity Corporation
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Keeling, Nicholas Athol, Budhia, Mickel Bipin, Huang, Chang-Yu, Kissin, Michael Le Gallais, Beaver, Jonathan
• Granted Patent: US 9,469,207 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: 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 53/126 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: B60M 7/003 for vehicles using stored power (e.g. charging stations)
• 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

Abstract

Dynamic wireless charging systems may involve coordinating multiple charging base pads to provide coordinated, continuous power transfers to a moving receiver along the distance in which the dynamic wireless charging system is installed. The layout and design of the charging base pads, the current flow through the charging base pads, and the sequencing of charging base pad activation and current flow implemented may dramatically affect the power transfers and practicality of such dynamic systems. The sequencing and control of these coils may need to be capable of managing the individual coils with minimal infrastructure as well as be capable of distributing the required power from the power grid to these pads efficiently and safely, and may comprise charging base pads, controllers to control the power flow to, activation of, and current flow direction within the base pads.

Claims

1. A device for charging an electric vehicle, the device comprising:

a plurality of charging coils configured to charge the electric vehicle; and

at least one control circuit configured to provide power to the plurality of charging coils in a first sequence and a second sequence, the first sequence configured to activate at least one of the plurality of charging coils in a first order with a first direction of current flow, and the second sequence configured to activate at least one of the plurality of charging coils with at least one of a different order or a different direction of current flow than the first sequence.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the first sequence is configured to activate pairs of charging coils in a nonconsecutive order.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the first sequence is configured to activate consecutive pairs of charging coils in a consecutive order and wherein a current flow direction of the charging coils varies between charging coils of the activated pair of charging coils.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the first sequence is configured to activate pairs of charging coils in a nonconsecutive order and wherein a current flow direction of each of the charging coils is selectively reversible based on the first sequence.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the first sequence is configured to activate one or more charging coils in a nonconsecutive order and wherein a current flow direction of each of the charging coils varies between charging coils of the plurality of charging coils.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the first sequence is configured to activate one or more charging coils in a consecutive order and wherein a current flow direction of each of the charging coils varies between charging coils of the plurality of charging coils.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the first sequence is configured to activate one or more charging coils in a nonconsecutive order and wherein a current flow direction of each of the charging coils is selectively reversible based on the first sequence.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the first sequence is configured to activate one or more charging coils in a consecutive order and wherein a current flow direction of each of the charging coils is selectively reversible based on the first sequence.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the selection between the first sequence and the second sequence is based on at least one of a charging requirement of the electric vehicle, a configuration of at least one vehicle pad, a type of vehicle pad, a size of the vehicle pad, a height of the vehicle pad above the charging coils, a speed of the electric vehicle, a position of the electric vehicle, a velocity of the electric vehicle, and a direction of travel of the electric vehicle.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of charging coils and the at least one control circuit are components in a base array network (BAN) module.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of charging coils comprises non-overlapping charging coils.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of charging coils comprises overlapping charging coils.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of charging coils comprises more than a pair of charging coils.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein each charging coil of the plurality of charging coils is configured to overlap with at least one other charging coil of the plurality of charging coils.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein a distance of overlap between each charging coil of the plurality of charging coils is determined by a resulting cross-coupling between overlapping charging coils.

16. The device of claim 1, wherein the direction of the current flow through each of the charging coils in each of the first and second subsets of charging coils is controlled by at least one of the at least one control unit and each of the plurality of charging coils.

17. The device of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of switches configured to couple each of the plurality of charging coils to the at least one control circuit.

18. A method for charging an electric vehicle, the method comprising:

selecting a first sequence from a plurality of sequences of charging coil activation steps; and

activating at least one charging coil of a plurality of charging coils in a first order with a first direction of current flow based on the first sequence, each of the sequences of the plurality of sequences of charging coil activation steps comprising activating the at least one charging coil with at least one of a different order or a different direction of current flow than the other sequences of charging coil activations steps of the plurality of sequences.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first sequence comprises activating pairs of charging coils of the plurality of charging coils in a nonconsecutive order.

20. The method of claim 18, wherein the first sequence comprises activating pairs of charging coils in a consecutive order and wherein a current of the charging coils varies between charging coils of the activated pair of charging coils.

21. The method of claim 18, wherein the first sequence comprises activating pairs of charging coils in a nonconsecutive order and wherein a current flow direction of each of the charging coils is selectively reversible based on the first sequence.

22. The method of claim 18, wherein the first sequence comprises activating one or more charging coils in a nonconsecutive order and wherein a current flow direction of each of the charging coils varies between charging coils of the plurality of charging coils.

23. The method of claim 18, wherein the first sequence comprises activating one or more charging coils in a consecutive order and wherein a current flow direction of each of the charging coils varies between charging coils of the plurality of charging coils.

24. The method of claim 18, wherein the first sequence comprises activating one or more charging coils in a nonconsecutive order and wherein a current flow direction of each of the charging coils is selectively reversible based on the first sequence.

25. The method of claim 18, wherein the first sequence comprises activating one or more charging coils in a consecutive order and wherein a current flow direction of each of the charging coils is selectively reversible based on the first sequence.

26. The method of claim 18, wherein activating at least one charging coil from the plurality of charging coils comprises activating a pair of overlapping charging coils.

27. The method of claim 18, wherein activating at least one charging coil from the plurality of charging coils comprises activating a pair of non-overlapping charging coils.

28. The method of claim 18, wherein activating at least first at least one charging coil from the plurality of charging coils comprises activating more than a pair of charging coils.

29. The method of claim 18, further comprising selecting the first sequence from the plurality of sequences based on at least one of a charging requirement of the electric vehicle, a configuration of at least one vehicle pad, a type of vehicle pad, a size of the vehicle pad, a height of the vehicle pad above the charging coils, a speed of the electric vehicle, a position of the electric vehicle, a velocity of the electric vehicle, and a direction of travel of the electric vehicle.

30. The method of claim 18, further comprising controlling a direction of the current flow through each of the charging coils via at least one of a control unit, a switch, and the charging coil.

31. A device for charging an electric vehicle, the device comprising:

a plurality of means for providing a charge to the electric vehicle; and

at least one means for providing power to the plurality of means for providing a charge based on a first sequence of a plurality of sequences of charge providing means activation steps, the first sequence configured to activate at least one of the plurality of charge providing means in a first order with a first direction of current flow, each of the sequences of the plurality of sequences of charge providing means activation steps configured to activate the at least one charge providing means with at least one of a different order or a different direction of current flow than the other sequences of charge providing means activations steps of the plurality of sequences.

32. The device of claim 31, wherein the first sequence is configured to activate pairs of overlapping charge providing means.

33. The device of claim 31, wherein the first sequence is configured to activate consecutive pairs of charge providing means in a consecutive order and wherein a current flow direction of the charge providing means varies between charge providing means of the activated pair of means for providing a charge.

34. The device of claim 31, wherein the first sequence is configured to activate pairs of charge providing means in a nonconsecutive order and wherein a current flow direction of each of the charge providing means is selectively reversible based on the first sequence.

35. The device of claim 31, wherein the first sequence is configured to activate one or more charge providing means in a nonconsecutive order and wherein a current flow direction of each of the charge providing means varies between charge providing means of the plurality of charge providing means.

36. The device of claim 31, wherein the first sequence is configured to activate one or more charge providing means in a consecutive order and wherein a current flow direction of each of the charge providing means varies between charge providing means of the plurality of charge providing means.

37. The device of claim 31, wherein the first sequence is configured to activate one or more charge providing means in a nonconsecutive order and wherein a current flow direction of each of the charge providing means is selectively reversible based on the first sequence.

38. The device of claim 31, wherein the first sequence is configured to activate one or more charge providing means in a consecutive order and wherein a current flow direction of each of the charge providing means is selectively reversible based on the first sequence.

39. The device of claim 31, wherein the at least one charge providing means comprises more than a pair of charge providing means.

40. The device of claim 31, further comprising means for coupling each of the charge providing means to the means for providing power.

41. The device of claim 31, further comprising means for selecting a first sequence from the plurality of sequences of charge providing means activation steps based on at least one of a charging requirement of the electric vehicle, a configuration of at least one vehicle pad, a type of vehicle pad, a size of the vehicle pad, a height of the vehicle pad above the charge providing means, a speed of the electric vehicle, a position of the electric vehicle, a velocity of the electric vehicle, and a direction of travel of the electric vehicle.

42. The device of claim 31, wherein each charge providing means is configured to overlap with at least one charge providing means.