Regulation control and energy management scheme for wireless power transfer

• US 9,221,351 B2
• Filed: 05/31/2012
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: UT-Battelle LLC
• Original Assignee: UT-Battelle LLC
• Inventors: Miller, John M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fureman, Jared
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham, Duc M
• Application Number:
  US13/484,404
• Publication Number:
  US 20130020862A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,307 Days
• Field of Search: 307/104
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/545 Temperature
• 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: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/005 Mechanical details of housing or structure aiming to accommodate the power transfer means, e.g. mechanical integration of coils, antennas or transducers into emitting or receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/40 using two or more transmitting or receiving devices H02J50/50 takes precedence
• 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 7/007182 in response to battery voltage
• 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

Power transfer rate at a charging facility can be maximized by employing a feedback scheme. The state of charge (SOC) and temperature of the regenerative energy storage system (RESS) pack of a vehicle is monitored to determine the load due to the RESS pack. An optimal frequency that cancels the imaginary component of the input impedance for the output signal from a grid converter is calculated from the load of the RESS pack, and a frequency offset f* is made to the nominal frequency f₀ of the grid converter output based on the resonance frequency of a magnetically coupled circuit. The optimal frequency can maximize the efficiency of the power transfer. Further, an optimal grid converter duty ratio d* can be derived from the charge rate of the RESS pack. The grid converter duty ratio d* regulates wireless power transfer (WPT) power level.

Claims

1. A system for wireless power transmission, said system comprising:

a primary circuit including a grid converter and a primary coil located in a primary pad;

a secondary circuit located in a vehicle and comprising a secondary coil, a current rectification circuit connected to said secondary coil, and a battery connected to said current rectification circuit;

a battery management system configured to measure at least one parameter of said battery;

a vehicle-side communication means configured to transmit information on said at least one parameter of said battery, wherein said at least one parameter is a measure of an effective resistance of said battery as seen by said primary circuit;

an output voltage controller configured to control an alternating current (AC) output voltage of said grid converter based on information derived from said at least one parameter of said battery, wherein said information derived from said at least one parameter of said battery comprises a target value for each of one or more waveform parameters of said AC output voltage; and

a computation means configured to generate said one or more target values from said at least one parameter of said battery.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said AC output voltage is a quasi-square wave or a square wave, and has a duty ratio from, and including, 0 to, and including, 1.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said output voltage controller is configured to control at least one of a duty cycle of said AC output voltage, a frequency of said AC output voltage, and a magnitude of said AC output voltage.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one parameter of said battery comprises at least one of temperature of said battery, a voltage level of said battery, and state of charge of said battery, a charge rate of said battery, and a parameter that is identical to, or is linearly proportional to, said effective resistance of said battery as seen by said primary circuit.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a gateway system configured to receive information on said at least one parameter of said battery as transmitted by said vehicle-side communication means, and configured to transmit said information derived from said at least one parameter, directly or indirectly, to said output voltage controller.

6. The system of claim 5, further comprising a grid-side communication means configured to receive said information derived from said at least one parameter, and configured to relay said information derived from said at least one parameter to said output voltage controller.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a gateway system configured to receive information on said at least one parameter of said battery as transmitted by said vehicle-side communication means, and configured to transmit said one or more target values, directly or indirectly, to said output voltage controller, wherein said computation means is in communication with said gateway system.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein said computation means is located within said vehicle and is in communication with said battery management system and said vehicle-side communication means, and said information on said at least one parameter of said battery as transmitted by said vehicle-side communication means comprises said one or more target values.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein said computation means is located within a facility that houses said grid converter, and is in communication with said vehicle-side communication means directly or indirectly, and said one or more target values are provided to said grid converter.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein said one or more target values comprise at least one of a target frequency for said AC output voltage, a target magnitude for said AC output voltage, and a target value for a parameter that controls a magnitude of a fundamental component of said AC output voltage.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein said at least one parameter of said battery comprises temperature of said battery and state of charge (SOC) of said battery, and said computation means is configured to determine a charge rate of said battery from said temperature of said battery and said SOC of said battery.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein said at least one parameter of said battery further comprises a voltage level of said battery, and said computation means is configured to determine said effective resistance of said battery as seen by said primary circuit.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein said computation means is configured to determine an input impedance of said secondary circuit as seen by said primary circuit.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein said computation means is configured to determine a frequency at which an imaginary component of input impedance of a circuit including said primary circuit and incorporating said input impedance of said secondary circuit becomes zero.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein said primary coil is located within a facility configured to park or store vehicles, underneath a road configured to allow vehicles to pass through, over a road configured to allow vehicles to pass through, or within a structure located on a side of a road configured to allow vehicles to pass through.

16. A method for wireless power transmission, said method comprising:

providing a primary circuit including a grid converter and a primary coil located in a primary pad;

providing a vehicle including a secondary circuit that comprises a secondary coil, a current rectification circuit connected to said secondary coil, a battery connected to said current rectification circuit, a battery management system configured to measure at least one parameter of said battery, a vehicle-side communication means configured to transmit information on said at least one parameter of said battery, wherein said at least one parameter is a measure of an effective resistance of said battery as seen by said primary circuit; and

modifying an alternating current (AC) output voltage of said grid converter based on information derived from said at least one parameter of said battery,

wherein said information derived from said at least one parameter of said battery comprises a target value for each of one or more waveform parameters of said AC output voltage, and

wherein a computation means generate said one or more target values from said at least one parameter of said battery.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein said AC output voltage is a quasi-square wave or a square wave, and has a duty ratio from, and including, 0 to, and including, 1.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein an output voltage controller modifies said AC output voltage by controlling at least one of a duty cycle of said AC output voltage, a frequency of said AC output voltage, and a magnitude of said AC output voltage.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein said output voltage controller controls a duty cycle of said AC output voltage, a frequency of said AC output voltage, and a magnitude of said AC output voltage.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein said at least one parameter of said battery comprises at least one of temperature of said battery, a voltage level of said battery, and state of charge of said battery, a charge rate of said battery, and a parameter that is identical to, or is linearly proportional to, said effective resistance of said battery as seen by said primary circuit.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein a gateway system receives information on said at least one parameter of said battery as transmitted by said vehicle-side communication means, and transmits said information derived from said at least one parameter, directly or indirectly, to an output voltage controller, wherein said output voltage controller modifies said AC output voltage.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein a grid-side communication means receives said information derived from said at least one parameter, and relays said information derived from said at least one parameter to said output voltage controller.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein a gateway system receives information on said at least one parameter of said battery as transmitted by said vehicle-side communication means, and transmits said information derived from said at least one parameter, directly or indirectly, to an output voltage controller, wherein said output voltage controller modifies said AC output voltage, wherein said computation means is in communication with said gateway system.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein said computation means is located within said vehicle and is in communication with said battery management system and said vehicle-side communication means, and said information on said at least one parameter of said battery as transmitted by said vehicle-side communication means comprises said one or more target values.

25. The method of claim 16, wherein said computation means is located within a facility that houses said grid converter, and is in communication with said vehicle-side communication means directly or indirectly, and said one or more target values are provided to said grid converter.

26. The method of claim 16, wherein said one or more target values comprise at least one of a target frequency for said AC output voltage, a target magnitude for said AC output voltage, and

a target value for a parameter that controls a magnitude of a fundamental component of said AC output voltage.

27. The method of claim 16, wherein said at least one parameter of said battery comprises temperature of said battery and state of charge (SOC) of said battery, and said computation means is configured to determine a charge rate of said battery from said temperature of said battery and said SOC of said battery.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein said at least one parameter of said battery further comprises a voltage level of said battery, and said computation means determines said effective resistance of said battery as seen by said primary circuit.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein said computation means further determines an input impedance of said secondary circuit as seen by said primary circuit.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein said computation means further determines a frequency at which an imaginary component of input impedance of a circuit including said primary circuit and incorporating said input impedance of said secondary circuit becomes zero.

31. The method of claim 16, wherein said primary coil is located within a facility configured to park or store vehicles, underneath a road configured to allow vehicles to pass through, over a road configured to allow vehicles to pass through, or within a structure located on a side of a road configured to allow vehicles to pass through.