DEVICES, SYSTEMS, AND METHODS USING REACTIVE POWER INJECTION FOR ACTIVE TUNING ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING SYSTEMS

• US 20160368387A1
• Filed: 06/16/2016
• Published: 12/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WiTricity Corporation
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Pavlovsky, Martin, Weidner, Felix
• Granted Patent: US 10,046,660 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/60 responsive to the presence of foreign objects, e.g. detection of living beings
• 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 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• 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

Systems, methods, and apparatus are disclosed for wirelessly charging an electric vehicle. In one aspect, a method for transferring power via a magnetic field in a wireless power transfer system is provided. The method includes outputting an alternating electric current to a wireless power transmitter, generating, at the wireless power transmitter, the magnetic field in response to being driven with the alternating electrical current, receiving a value indicative of an electrical characteristic of the wireless power transmitter, and adjusting an operating characteristic of the wireless power transmitter to trigger a change in an electrical current in the receiver, the amount of adjustment selected to cause adjustment of an amount of reactive power in the wireless power transfer system based on changes in the receiver that automatically occur to maintain the output power substantially constant in response to the change in the electrical current in the receiver.

Claims

1. An apparatus for wirelessly transferring power via a magnetic field in a wireless power transfer system, the system including a receiver having a resonant receive circuit configured to inductively couple power via the magnetic field, a power conversion circuit of the receiver configured to adjust an amount of reactive power in the wireless power transfer system to maintain an output power substantially constant in response to changes in the power received due to variations in coupling, the apparatus comprising:

an inverter circuit configured to output alternating electrical current;

a resonant transmit circuit comprising a coil electrically connected to a capacitive element, the resonant transmit circuit operably coupled to the inverter circuit and configured to generate the magnetic field in response to being driven with the alternating electrical current; and

a controller configured to;

receive a value indicative of an electrical characteristic of the inverter circuit; and

adjust an operating characteristic of the inverter circuit to trigger a change in an electrical current in the receive circuit, the amount of adjustment of the operating characteristic of the inverter selected by the controller to cause adjustment of an amount of reactive power in the wireless power transfer system based on changes in the power conversion circuit that automatically occur to maintain the output power substantially constant in response to the change in the electrical current in the resonant receive circuit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the amount of reactive power in the wireless power transfer system based on the electrical characteristic of the inverter circuit and information regarding how the reactive power is adjusted at the receiver via the power conversion circuit based on the electrical characteristic of the inverter circuit.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the information regarding how the reactive power is adjusted at the receiver comprises a threshold limit for a duty cycle of a switching network associated with the power conversion circuit of the receiver.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the operating characteristic comprises a duty cycle of the inverter circuit.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the wherein the controller is further configured to reduce the duty cycle of the inverter circuit to reduce the electrical current in the receive circuit and to reduce the reactive power in the wireless power transfer system.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the electrical characteristic of the inverter circuit comprises a load angle of the inverter circuit.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the amount of reactive power in the wireless power transfer system based on a comparison of the load angle of the inverter circuit with a reference load angle.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the reference load angle is a pre-defined value or a value located in a look-up table.

9. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein the controller is further configured to adjust the load angle of the inverter circuit when the difference between the load angle of the inverter circuit and the reference load angle satisfies a threshold.

10. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the load angle of the inverter circuit comprises an indication of a phase angle between a voltage and a current of the resonant transmit circuit.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the resonant transmit circuit is series-tuned.

12. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the load angle comprises a difference between a time of a switching state change command of the inverter circuit and a time of a zero current crossing detection instant as detected by a current sensor.

13. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to adjust the operating characteristic of the inverter circuit based on a threshold limit for the alternating electrical current provided to the resonant transmit circuit.

14. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to adjust increase a voltage of the inverter circuit to increase the amount of reactive power in the wireless power transfer system.

15. A method for wirelessly transferring power via a magnetic field in a wireless power transfer system, the system including a receiver having a resonant receive circuit configured to inductively couple power via the magnetic field, a power conversion circuit of the receiver configured to adjust an amount of reactive power in the wireless power transfers system to maintain an output power substantially constant in response to changes in the power received due to variations in coupling, the method comprising:

outputting an alternating electric current to a wireless power transmitter;

generating, at the wireless power transmitter, the magnetic field in response to being driven with the alternating electrical current; and

receiving a value indicative of an electrical characteristic of the wireless power transmitter; and

adjusting an operating characteristic of the wireless power transmitter to trigger a change in an electrical current in the receiver, the amount of adjustment of the operating characteristic of the wireless power transmitter selected to cause adjustment of an amount of reactive power in the wireless power transfer system based on changes in the receiver that automatically occur to maintain the output power substantially constant in response to the change in the electrical current in the receiver.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining the amount of reactive power in the wireless power transfer system based on the electrical characteristic of the wireless power transmitter and information regarding how the reactive power is adjusted at the receiver based on the electrical characteristic of the wireless power transmitter.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the information regarding how the reactive power is adjusted at the receiver comprises a threshold limit for a duty cycle of a switching network associated with the power conversion circuit of the receiver.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein the operating characteristic comprises a duty cycle of the wireless power transmitter.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising reducing the duty cycle of the wireless power transmitter to reduce the electrical current in the receive circuit and to reduce the reactive power in the wireless power transfer system.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the electrical characteristic of the wireless power transmitter comprises a load angle of an inverter circuit of the wireless power transmitter.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the amount of reactive power in the wireless power system based on a comparison of the load angle of the inverter circuit with a reference load angle.

22. The method of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to adjust the operating characteristic of wireless power transmitter based on a threshold limit for the alternating electrical current provided to the wireless power transmitter.

23. The method of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to adjust increase a voltage of wireless power transmitter to increase the amount of reactive power in the wireless power transfer system.

24. An apparatus for wirelessly transferring power via a magnetic field in a wireless power transfer system, the system including a receiver having a resonant receive circuit configured to inductively couple power via the magnetic field, a power conversion circuit of the receiver configured to adjust an amount of reactive power in the wireless power transfers system to maintain an output power substantially constant in response to changes in the power received due to variations in coupling, the apparatus comprising:

means for outputting an alternating electric current;

means for generating the magnetic field in response to being driven with the alternating electrical current; and

means for receiving a value indicative of an electrical characteristic of means for outputting the alternating electric current; and

means for adjusting an operating characteristic of the means for outputting the alternating electric current to trigger a change in an electrical current in the receiver, the amount of adjustment of the operating characteristic of means for outputting the alternating electric current selected to cause adjustment of the amount of reactive power in the wireless power transfer system based on changes in the receiver that automatically occur to maintain the output power substantially constant in response to the change in the electrical current in the receiver.

25. The apparatus of claim 24, further comprising means for determining an amount of reactive power in the wireless power transfer system based on the electrical characteristic of means for outputting the alternating electric current and information regarding how the reactive power is adjusted at the receiver based on the electrical characteristic of the means for outputting the alternating electric current.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the information regarding how the reactive power is adjusted at the receiver comprises a threshold limit for a duty cycle of a switching network associated with the power conversion circuit of the receiver.

27. A wireless power transfer system, comprising:

a wireless power receiver comprising;

a resonant receive circuit configured to inductively couple power via a magnetic field;

a power conversion circuit having a switching network and configured to adjust an amount of reactive power in the wireless power transfers system in response to adjusting states of the switching network to maintain an output power substantially constant in response to changes in the power received due to variations in coupling; and

a wireless power transmitter comprising;

an inverter circuit configured to output alternating electrical current;

a resonant transmit circuit comprising a coil electrically connected to a capacitive element, the resonant transmit circuit operably coupled to the inverter circuit and configured to generate the magnetic field in response to being driven with the alternating electrical current; and

a controller configured to;

receive a value indicative of an electrical characteristic of the inverter circuit; and

adjust an operating characteristic of the inverter circuit to trigger a change in an electrical current in the receive circuit, the amount of adjustment of the operating characteristic of the inverter selected by the controller to cause adjustment of the amount of reactive power in the wireless power transfer system based on changes in the power conversion circuit that automatically occur to maintain the output power substantially constant in response to the change in the electrical current in the resonant receive circuit.

28. The wireless power transfer system of claim 27, wherein the controller is further configured to determine the amount of reactive power in the wireless power transfer system based on the electrical characteristic of the inverter circuit and information regarding how the reactive power is adjusted at the receiver via the power conversion circuit based on the electrical characteristic of the inverter circuit.

29. The wireless power transfer system of claim 27, wherein the information regarding how the reactive power is adjusted at the receiver comprises a threshold limit for a duty cycle of the switching network.

30. The wireless power transfer system of claim 27, wherein the operating characteristic comprises a duty cycle of the inverter circuit.