Wireless Transfer Station for Transferring Energy

• US 20150365136A1
• Filed: 07/03/2014
• Published: 12/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PNC Bank National Association (The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Enovate Medical, LLC (Enovate Medical Holdings, LLC)
• Inventors: Miller, David R., Kilbourne, Allen, Moody, Jay
• Granted Patent: US 10,056,790 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0015 characterised by features of the telemetry system
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/12 operating with electromagnetic waves operating with millimetre waves G01V8/005
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/425 Structural combination with electronic components, e.g. electronic circuits integrated to the outside of the casing printed circuits H05K1/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/482 for several batteries or cells simultaneously or sequentially
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2010/4278 Systems for data transfer from batteries, e.g. transfer of battery parameters to a controller, data transferred between battery controller and main controller
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/30 Batteries in portable systems, e.g. mobile phone, laptop
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/24 adapted for protecting batteries from their environment, e.g. from corrosion thermal insulation H01M10/658
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 50/342 Non-re-sealable arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/23 The load being a medical device, a medical implant, or a life supporting device
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• 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 50/50 using additional energy repeaters between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• 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 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0049 Detection of fully charged condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A technology for a wireless transfer station that is operable to wirelessly transfer energy. Energy can be wirelessly transferred with a device or another wireless transfer station using an energy transfer platform having at least one surface. The energy transfer platform can comprise a plurality of wireless transfer coils, wherein the plurality of wireless transfer coils include at least one resonant charging coil and at least one inductive charging coil. Controlling a plurality of wireless transfer coils using a power management module.

Claims

1. A wireless transfer station for wirelessly transferring energy, the wireless transfer station comprising:

an energy transfer platform having at least one surface for wirelessly transferring energy with a device or another wireless transfer station;

a plurality of wireless transfer coils located within the energy transfer platform, wherein the plurality of wireless transfer coils include at least one resonant charging coil and at least one inductive charging coil; and

a power management module for controlling a plurality of wireless transfer coils.

2. The wireless transfer station of claim 1, wherein the plurality of wireless transfer coils includes a transmitting coil, a repeater coil, or a receiving coil.

3. The wireless transfer station of claim 1, wherein the power management module is configured to select at least one of the plurality wireless transfer coils for transferring energy to the device or the other wireless transfer station.

4. The wireless transfer station of claim 1, wherein the power management module is configured to adjust an amount of energy transferred from one or more of the plurality of wireless transfer coils to the device or the other wireless transfer station.

5. The wireless transfer station of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of wireless transfer coils is configured to transfer energy at a selected resonant frequency and another of the plurality of wireless transfer coils transfers energy at a different selected resonant frequency.

6. The wireless transfer station of claim 1, further wherein the power management module is further configured to wirelessly transfer energy to the device or the other wireless transfer station using at least two wireless transfer coils of the plurality of wireless transfer coils.

7. The wireless transfer station of claim 6, wherein the power management module is further configured to wirelessly transfer a selected ratio of wireless energy from one of the at least two wireless transfer coils to the device or the other wireless transfer station.

8. The wireless transfer station of claim 1, wherein the power management module is further configured to:

wirelessly transfer energy to a first device or a first wireless transfer station using one of the plurality of wireless transfer coils;

wirelessly transfer energy to a second device or a second wireless transfer station using another of the plurality of wireless transfer coils; and

a coordination module configured to coordinate when energy is transferred to the first device or the first wireless transfer station and when energy is transferred to the second device or the second wireless transfer station.

9. The wireless transfer station of claim 8, wherein the power management module is further configured to:

wirelessly transfer a first selected amount of energy to the first device or the first wireless transfer station; and

wirelessly transfer a second selected amount of energy to the second device or the second wireless transfer station.

10. A wireless transfer station for transferring energy, the wireless transfer station comprising:

at least one surface for wirelessly transferring energy with an electronic device or another wireless transfer station;

a wireless transfer coil located adjacent to the at least one surface;

an power management module for controlling the wireless transfer coil; and

a communications module configured to communicate data between the wireless transfer station and the electronic device or the other wireless transfer station, wherein the communications module uses the wireless transfer coil or an antenna to communicate the data.

11. The wireless transfer station of claim 10, wherein the wireless transfer station is integrated into an electronic device, a wireless energy battery pack, a medical cart, a floor mat, a floor surface, a plate mounted to a wall, or a wall surface.

12. The wireless transfer station of claim 10, wherein the wireless transfer station is configured to:

receive wireless energy from an additional wireless transfer station; and

communicate energy information to the additional wireless transfer station using the communications module.

13. The wireless transfer station of claim 10, further comprising an alignment module to determine an alignment of the wireless transfer coil relative to a wireless transfer coil of another wireless transfer station.

14. The wireless transfer station of claim 10, wherein the power management module is configured to regulate an amount of energy the wireless transfer station receives from another wireless transfer station.

15. The wireless transfer station of claim 10, wherein the wireless transfer station includes a plurality of wireless transfer coils and is configured to receive wireless energy using at least two of the plurality of wireless transfer coils.

16. A wireless transfer station for wirelessly transferring energy, the wireless transfer station comprising:

an energy transfer platform having at least one surface;

a wireless transfer coil located within the energy transfer platform for wirelessly transferring energy with another wireless transfer station; and

a conversion module configured to;

switch the wireless transfer station between a transmit mode and a receive mode;

or

switch the wireless transfer station between a resonance charging mode and an induction charging mode.

17. The wireless transfer station of claim 16, further comprising a receptacle to attach the other wireless transfer station to transmit or receive wireless energy with the wireless transfer station using the wireless transfer coil.

18. The wireless transfer station of claim 16, further comprising a power management module for controlling the wireless transfer coil, wherein the power management module dynamically adjusts an amount of energy that the wireless transfer coil is configured to receive from an additional wireless transfer station.

19. The wireless transfer station of claim 16, further comprising a coil alignment module configured to:

receive alignment information from the other wireless transfer station using a communications module; and

determine an alignment of the wireless transfer coil of the wireless transfer station relative to a wireless transfer coil of the other wireless transfer station using the alignment information.

20. The wireless transfer station of claim 19, further comprising indicating alignment correction information to a user of the wireless transfer station based on received alignment information, wherein the alignment correction information directs the user how to increase the alignment of wireless transfer coil of the wireless transfer station relative to the wireless transfer coil of the other wireless transfer station.

21. The wireless transfer station of claim 19, further comprising an power management module configured to:

adjust an amount of energy transferred from the wireless transfer coil to a device or the other wireless transfer station; and

cease transferring wireless energy to the device or the other wireless transfer station or configure the wireless transfer station to enter a sleep mode when an energy transfer load of the wireless energy transfer decreases below a selected threshold.