Self-Locating Multi-Coil System for Wireless Vehicle Charging

• US 20160052415A1
• Filed: 08/25/2014
• Published: 02/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Bell, Christopher W., Lathrop, James A., Gibeau, John Paul, Connolly, Brittany
• Granted Patent: US 9,649,948 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 53/34 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: B60L 53/39 with position-responsive activation of primary coils
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• 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: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• 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

Electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles include a rechargeable traction battery. An automated vehicle charging system is configured to charge the traction battery with minimal operator intervention. The vehicle charging system includes a carousel, including a plurality of transmit coils, configured to move in a longitudinal direction and rotate about an axis. The vehicle charging system further includes at least one controller programmed to move the carousel in the longitudinal direction and rotate the carousel about the axis to align a selected transmit coil from the plurality of transmit coils with a vehicle receive coil. The vehicle charging system may receive positioning data from a vehicle and may move and rotate the carousel according to the positioning data to align the selected transmit coil with the vehicle receive coil.

Claims

1. A vehicle charging system comprising:

a carousel, including a plurality of transmit coils, configured to move in a longitudinal direction and rotate about an axis; and

at least one controller programmed to move the carousel in the longitudinal direction and rotate the carousel about the axis to align a selected transmit coil from the plurality of transmit coils with a vehicle receive coil.

2. The vehicle charging system of claim 1 wherein the at least one controller is further programmed to move the carousel and rotate the carousel in response to a location of the vehicle receive coil.

3. The vehicle charging system of claim 1 further comprising a lifting mechanism for changing a height of the transmit coils, wherein the at least one controller is further programmed to operate the lifting mechanism to change the height of the transmit coils such that a distance between the selected transmit coil and the vehicle receive coil is changed.

4. The vehicle charging system of claim 1 wherein the at least one controller is further programmed to receive data from a vehicle indicative of a compatible transmit coil, select one of the transmit coils that is the compatible transmit coil, and move and rotate the carousel to align the compatible transmit coil with the vehicle receive coil.

5. The vehicle charging system of claim 1 further comprising a tire location detector configured to output a position of at least one tire of a vehicle within a space defined by the vehicle charging system, wherein the at least one controller is further programmed to move and rotate the carousel based on the position of the at least one tire.

6. The vehicle charging system of claim 1 wherein the at least one controller is further programmed to receive data from a vehicle indicative of a location of the vehicle receive coil, and move and rotate the carousel to align the selected transmit coil with the vehicle receive coil based on the location of the vehicle receive coil.

7. The vehicle charging system of claim 1 wherein the at least one controller is further programmed to, in response to a command received from the vehicle to adjust a position of the selected transmit coil, move and rotate the carousel to adjust the position of the selected transmit coil according to the command.

8. A method for operating a vehicle charging system comprising:

receiving, by a controller, data indicative of a compatible transmit coil, data indicative of a tire position, and data indicative of a vehicle receive coil position; and

commanding, by the controller, a carousel, including the compatible transmit coil, to move and rotate based on the tire position and the vehicle receive coil position such that the compatible transmit coil is aligned with a vehicle receive coil.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising commanding, by the controller, a lifting mechanism to change height of the compatible transmit coil relative to the vehicle receive coil to change a distance between the compatible transmit coil and the vehicle receive coil.

10. The method of claim 8 further comprising:

receiving, by the controller, a positioning command from a vehicle; and

commanding, by the controller, the carousel to move and rotate based on the positioning command.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein the vehicle receive coil position is relative to the tire position.

12. The method of claim 8 wherein data indicative of a compatible transmit coil is one or more of a vehicle identifier and a transmit coil identifier.

13. A vehicle charging system comprising:

a carousel, including a plurality of transmit coils, configured to move in a longitudinal direction and rotate about an axis; and

at least one controller programmed to, in response to receiving positioning data from a vehicle for aligning a selected transmit coil with a vehicle receive coil, move and rotate the carousel according to the positioning data.

14. The vehicle charging system of claim 13 wherein the positioning data is relative to a present position of the selected transmit coil.

15. The vehicle charging system of claim 13 further comprising a lifting mechanism for changing a height of the transmit coils, wherein the positioning data includes a height adjustment, and wherein the at least one controller is further programmed to operate the lifting mechanism according to the height adjustment.

16. The vehicle charging system of claim 13 wherein the positioning data is based on an amount of energy transferred from the selected transmit coil to the vehicle receive coil.

17. The vehicle charging system of claim 16 wherein the positioning data maximizes the amount of energy transferred from the selected transmit coil to the vehicle receive coil.

18. The vehicle charging system of claim 13 wherein the at least one controller is further programmed to minimize movement in the longitudinal direction.

19. The vehicle charging system of claim 13 wherein the at least one controller is further programmed to minimize rotation about the axis.

20. The vehicle charging system of claim 13 wherein the at least one controller is further programmed to position the selected transmit coil by minimum movement in the longitudinal direction and minimum rotation about the axis.