Re-configurable coded inductive charging system

• US 9,391,471 B2
• Filed: 12/05/2013
• Issued: 07/12/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/05/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Inventors: Wood, James R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodas, Richard Isla
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sharief, Mohammed J
• Application Number:
  US14/097,618
• Publication Number:
  US 20140152252A1
• Time in Patent Office: 950 Days
• Field of Search: 320/108
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• 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 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment

Abstract

A method comprising supplying current to charging elements, a charging element producing a configurable magnetic field polarity, magnetic field polarities produced by the charging elements according to a charging polarity code. The method determines a relative position between a receiving element and a charging element, receiving elements fixedly electrically connected according to the charging polarity code, responsive to determining, re-configuring a magnetic field polarity of one or more of the charging elements due to movement of the receiving elements relative to the charging elements, and inducing a charging current by the charging elements in the receiving elements to increase power transfer from the charging elements to the receiving elements.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a charging station disposed in an upper region of a garment worn about a wearer'"'"'s chest, the charging station further comprising hack iron and charging elements, responsive to current supplied to a charging element, the charging element to produce a magnetic field for coupling to a receiving element in a helmet worn by the wearer, magnetic fields produced by the charging elements according to a charging polarity code;

a battery disposed in the helmet for charging by the charging station;

a plurality of receiving elements fixedly electrically connected according to the charging polarity code in the helmet, the charging elements greater in number than the plurality of receiving elements;

the back iron spaced apart from the charging elements and connected across a back plane of the charging elements, the hack iron to confine magnetic flux created by the charging elements in a direction toward the plurality of receiving elements;

one or more sensors at the charging station or at the helmet for sensing relative positions between a receiving element and a charging element as a head of the wearer moves relative to the garment;

a processor at the charging station for re-configuring a magnetic field polarity of one or more of the charging elements due to movement of the receiving elements relative to the charging elements as determined by the one or more sensors; and

those charging elements aligned with the plurality of receiving elements for to inductively induce a charging current in the plurality receiving elements to increase power transfer from the charging elements to the plurality of receiving elements.

2. A method comprising:

a) providing a movable device comprising receiving elements fixedly electrically connected according to a polarity code having a code pattern;

b) providing a wearable device comprising charging elements greater in number than the receiving elements and a processor, a respective charging element producing a configurable magnetic field polarity to inductively transfer energy to a respective receiving element according to a conjugate relationship;

c) determining relative positions between the receiving elements and the charging elements;

d) re-configuring, by the processor, magnetic field polarity of one or more charging elements based on the determined relative positions of the receiving elements in relation to the charging elements to form a conjugate pattern of the code pattern for the polarity code with those Charging elements currently aligned with the receiving elements and remaining charging elements turned off to preserve charging energy;

e) inductively transferring energy to the receiving elements of the movable device with said those charging elements currently aligned with the receiving elements to provide power to the movable device; and

f) repeating c), d) and e) as the movable device moves relative to the wearable device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein re-configuring comprises at least one of supplying current to a charging element, reversing a direction of current supplied to a charging element, and deselecting a charging element.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the receiving elements fixedly electrically connected according to the polarity code comprises the receiving elements wired according to the charging polarity code.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein maximum energy transfer occurs to the receiving elements by the charging elements according to the polarity code.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein comprises transmitting pilot tones from one or more of the charging elements and sensing a received pilot tone at one or more of the receiving elements.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the wearable device comprises a vest, and the method further comprising disposing the charging elements at an upper region of the vest when the vest is worn.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the movable device comprises a helmet comprising batteries, the method further comprising charging the batteries by the charging elements through the receiving elements.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the polarity code comprises a Barker code or a gray code.

10. The method of claim 2, wherein the receiving elements and the charging elements comprise coils with magnetic poles and the determining comprises:

sensing misalignment between the magnetic poles of the receiving elements and the charging elements.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein a magnetic pole of each charging element of said those charging elements currently aligned with the receiving elements is selected according to spatial correlation properties of the polarity code.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the wearable device comprises back iron spaced apart from the charging elements and connected across a back plane of the charging elements, the back iron to confine magnetic flux created by the charging elements in a direction toward the receiving elements.

13. The method of claim 2, wherein the wearable device comprises back iron spaced apart from the charging elements and connected across a back plane of the charging elements;

and

further comprising confining magnetic flux created by the charging elements in a direction toward the receiving elements.

14. A system comprising:

a movable device comprising receiving elements fixedly electrically connected according to a polarity code having a code pattern;

a wearable device comprising a charging station with charging elements greater in number than the receiving elements and a processor, each charging element to produce a configurable magnetic field polarity to inductively transfer energy to a receiving element according to a conjugate relationship; and

sensors to determine relative positions between the receiving elements and the charging elements;

wherein the processor to re-configure magnetic field polarity of one or more charging elements based on the determined relative positions of the receiving elements in relation to the charging elements to form a conjugate pattern of the code pattern for the polarity code with those charging elements currently aligned with the receiving elements and remaining charging elements turned off to preserve charging energy; and

said those charging elements currently aligned with the receiving elements inductively transfer energy to the receiving elements.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the sensors are disposed at the charging station.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the sensors are disposed at the movable device and the movable device transmits a signal indicating the relative positions to the charging station.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the receiving elements fixedly electrically connected according to the polarity code comprises the receiving elements wired together such that induced current flow from the receiving elements is additive.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the movable device comprises a helmet comprising batteries charged by the charging elements through the receiving elements;

and the wearable device comprises a vest with the charging elements disposed at a collar region of the vest.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein the receiving elements and the charging elements comprise coils with magnetic poles and the sensors to sense misalignment between the magnetic poles of the receiving elements and the charging elements.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein a magnetic pole of each charging element of said those charging elements currently aligned with the receiving elements is selected according to spatial correlation properties of the polarity code.