SELF-ALIGNING WIRELESS POWER TRANSFER

• US 20160325630A1
• Filed: 05/06/2015
• Published: 11/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/06/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Dede, Ercan Mehmet, Banerjee, Debasish
• Granted Patent: US 9,845,018 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/62 Vehicle position
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• 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 53/39 with position-responsive activation of primary coils
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• 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 7/00045 Authentication, i.e. circuits for checking compatibility between one component, e.g. a battery or a battery charger, and another component, e.g. a power source
• 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 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• 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

An apparatus and method of wirelessly charging a battery are disclosed. The wireless charging system may include a charge receiver, charge transmitter, and an active control sheet. The active control sheet may include a plurality of cells. The plurality of cells may be activated or deactivated according to the location of the charge receiver relative to the charge transmitter. Charging may be initiated, and electrical charge transferred, from the charge transmitter, through the activated cells on the active control sheet, and to the charge receiver.

Claims

1. A charging apparatus for wirelessly charging a battery comprising:

a charge transmitter of a first size;

a charge receiver movable relative to the charge transmitter, the charge receiver of a second size different from the first size; and

an active control sheet having a plurality of cells, the plurality of cells being activated or deactivated based on a location of the charge receiver relative to the charge transmitter, wherein the active control sheet generates a magnetic field received by the charge receiver, and wherein the magnetic field induces a current in the charge receiver for charging a battery.

2. The charging apparatus of claim 1 wherein the first size of the charge transmitter is greater than the second size of the charge receiver.

3. The charging apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a sensing means for detecting the location of the charge receiver relative to the charge transmitter.

4. The charging apparatus of claim 3 wherein the sensing means is at least one of an optical sensor, a light sensor, a weight sensor, and a radar sensor.

5. The charging apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a data transmitting means for communicating an identifier to a controller, wherein the controller activates at least one of the plurality of cells based on the identifier, and wherein the identifier corresponds to a shape of the magnetic field for charging.

6. The charging apparatus of claim 5 wherein the data transmitting means is at least one of a Bluetooth transmitter, RFID transmitter, Wi-Fi transmitter, and beacon technology.

7. The charging apparatus of claim 1 wherein at least one of the plurality of cells further comprises a variable electrical component.

8. The charging apparatus of claim 7 wherein the variable electrical component is a variable capacitor.

9. The charging apparatus of claim 7 further comprising a controller, wherein the controller tunes the variable electrical component to adjust a resonant frequency of the at least one of the plurality of cells.

10. The charging apparatus of claim 7 wherein a first group of variable electrical components is tuned to output a first resonant frequency in a first region of the plurality of cells, and a second group of variable electrical components is tuned to output a second resonant frequency in a second region of the plurality of cells.

11. The charging apparatus of claim 10 wherein the first resonant frequency is different from the second resonant frequency, and wherein the second region of the plurality of cells corresponds to the location of the charge transmitter relative to the charge receiver.

12. A wireless charging station comprising:

a charge transmitter; and

an active control sheet comprising a plurality of cells, the plurality of cells being activated or deactivated according to a location of a charge receiver relative to the charge transmitter when the charge receiver is present at the wireless charging station;

wherein the active control sheet is configured to selectively transmit a magnetic field from the charge transmitter through the plurality of cells activated and to the charge receiver when present at the wireless charging station.

13. The wireless charging station of claim 12 further comprising a controller receiving location data corresponding to the location of the charge receiver relative to the charge transmitter, and the controller activating at least one of the plurality of cells.

14. The wireless charging station of claim 12 wherein the active control sheet further comprises at least one variable electrical component connected to at least one of the plurality of cells, the variable electrical component being tuned to have a resonant frequency based on the location of the charge receiver relative to the charge transmitter.

15. The wireless charging station of claim 12 further comprising a data transmitting means for transmitting at least one identifier corresponding to an activation shape.

16. A method of wireles sly charging a battery comprising:

detecting a location of a charge receiver for a battery when the charge receiver is located at a charging station;

activating at least one cell on an active control sheet corresponding to the location; and

transmitting a magnetic field from a charge transmitter at the charging station, through the activated at least one cell, and to the charge receiver for charging the battery.

17. The method of claim 16 further comprising transmitting an identifier, the identifier corresponding to magnetic field activation shape on the active control sheet.

18. The method of claim 16 further comprising transmitting an identifier to a controller, and wherein activating at least one cell comprises activating an activation shape comprised of at least one cell on the active control sheet, the activation shape corresponding to a magnetic field shape for charging based on the identifier.

19. The method of claim 16 further comprising tuning a resonant frequency in the at least one cell.

20. The method of claim 16 further comprising tuning a first resonant frequency in a first region of the active control sheet, and tuning a second resonant frequency in a second region of the active control sheet, wherein the first resonant frequency is different from the second resonant frequency, and wherein transmitting the magnetic field further comprises transmitting magnetic field from the charge transmitter, through the second region of the active control sheet, and to the charge receiver.