System and method for adaptive charging compliance control

• US 9,463,705 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2014
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WiTricity Corporation
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Grabar, Simon, Werner, Michael, Percebon, Leandro Alberto
• Primary Examiner(s): Levin, Naum B
• Application Number:
  US14/301,085
• Publication Number:
  US 20150352963A1
• Time in Patent Office: 854 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: B60L 53/31 Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• 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: 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/12 Remote or cooperative charging

Abstract

Apparatus, system, and method for adaptive charging compliance control are disclosed. A charging station wirelessly charges a vehicle in compliance with emissions regulations. A controller in the charging station obtains information regarding the characteristics of an incoming vehicle and accesses a maximum regulation-compliant power level database based on the vehicle information obtained and determines conditions of the vehicle parked at the charging station. The controller determines and delivers the maximum power level to wirelessly charge the vehicle while maintaining the level of field emissions no greater than the regulatory limit.

Claims

1. An apparatus for transmitting charging power wirelessly to a receiver via a wireless charging field generating field emissions, the receiver having a receiver antenna and operationally connected to a load of a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a power transmitter having a transmitter antenna;

a sensor circuit configured to determine one or more charging conditions associated with the receiver;

a controller operationally coupled to the sensor circuit and configured to;

obtain a first indicator of one or more characteristics of the vehicle;

determine a second indicator of the one or more charging conditions; and

determine a power level for driving the transmitter antenna at a level sufficient to maintain the field emissions from the wireless charging field below an emission threshold level, the power level determined based on the first and second indicators; and

a driver circuit configured to drive the power transmitter to wirelessly charge the receiver according to the power level.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to access a database, the database comprising maximum regulation-compliant current levels generated through a plurality of simulations conducted for a plurality of preselected vehicles and under predetermined charging conditions.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more charging conditions comprise a relative alignment between the receiver antenna and the transmitter antenna.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the relative alignment represents translational difference between a reference point of the receiver antenna and a reference point of the transmitter antenna.

5. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the controller is further configured to access a database comprising a plurality of lookup tables, each of the plurality of lookup tables comprising a plurality of values, each of which corresponding to a maximum current level for a predetermined relative alignment between the receiver antenna and the transmitter antenna.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the controller determines the power level based on interpolating the plurality of values of the maximum current matrix based on the second indicator.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more charging conditions comprise one or more of temperature surrounding the vehicle and infrastructure surrounding the power transmitter.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the field emissions comprise magnetic field emissions, and wherein the transmitter antenna comprises a coil having one or more windings configured to generate the wireless charging field.

9. An apparatus for transmitting charging power wirelessly to a receiver via a wireless charging field generating field emissions, the receiver having a receiver antenna and operationally connected to a load of a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

a power transmitter having a transmitter antenna;

a sensor circuit configured to determine one or more charging conditions associated with the receiver; and

a controller operationally coupled to the sensor circuit and configured to;

obtain a first indicator of one or more characteristics of the vehicle;

determine a second indicator of the one or more charging conditions; and

determine a power level for driving the transmitter antenna at a level sufficient to maintain the field emissions from the wireless charging field below an emission threshold level, the power level determined based on the first and second indicators,

wherein the one or more characteristics of the vehicle comprise one or more of type of the vehicle, size of the vehicle, type of the receiver, and type of a battery coupled to the vehicle.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to access a database of a plurality of lookup tables, each of the plurality of lookup tables comprises a plurality of values, each of which corresponding to a current level for the first indicator.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the one or more charging conditions comprise a relative alignment between the receiver antenna and the transmitter antenna.

12. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the field emissions comprise magnetic field emissions, and wherein the transmitter antenna comprises a coil having one or more windings configured to generate the wireless charging field.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to access a database comprising a plurality of lookup tables, each of the plurality of lookup tables comprising a plurality of values, each of which corresponding to a maximum current level for a predetermined relative alignment between the receiver antenna and the transmitter antenna.

14. A method for transmitting charging power wirelessly to a receiver via a wireless charging field generating field emissions, the receiver having a receiver antenna and operationally connected to a load of a vehicle, the method comprising:

determining one or more charging conditions associated with the receiver;

obtaining a first indicator of one or more characteristics of the vehicle;

determining a second indicator of the one or more charging conditions;

determining a power level for driving the transmitter antenna at a level sufficient to maintain the field emissions from the wireless charging field below an emission threshold level, the power level determined based on the first and second indicators; and

driving a power transmitter, having the transmitter antenna, to wirelessly charge the receiver according to the power level.

15. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

accessing a database, wherein the database comprises maximum regulation-compliant current levels generated through a plurality of simulations conducted for a plurality of preselected vehicles and under predetermined charging conditions.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more characteristics of the vehicle comprise one or more of type of the vehicle, size of the vehicle, type of the receiver, and type of a battery coupled to the vehicle.

17. The method of claim 14 further comprising:

accessing a database,

wherein the one or more charging conditions comprise a relative alignment between the receiver antenna and the transmitter antenna, and

wherein the database comprises a plurality of lookup tables, each of the plurality of lookup tables comprising a plurality of values, each of which corresponding to a current level for a predetermined relative alignment between the receiver antenna and the transmitter antenna.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the power level is determined based on interpolating the plurality of values corresponding to current levels based on the second indicator.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein the one or more charging conditions comprise one or more temperature measurement surrounding the vehicle and infrastructure surrounding the power transmitter.

20. An apparatus for transmitting charging power wirelessly to a receiver via a wireless charging field generating field emissions, the receiver having a receiver antenna and operationally connected to a load of a vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

first means for determining one or more charging conditions associated with the receiver;

means for obtaining a first indicator of one or more characteristics of the vehicle;

second means for determining a second indicator of the one or more charging conditions;

third means for determining a power level for driving a transmitter antenna at a level sufficient to maintain the field emissions from the wireless charging field below an emission threshold level, the power level determined based on the first and second indicators; and

means for driving the transmitter antenna according to the power level.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the first determining means, the obtaining means, the second determining means, and the third determining means comprise a controller, and the driving means comprises a driver circuit.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein the one or more characteristics of the vehicle comprise one or more of type of the vehicle, size of the vehicle, type of the receiver, and type of a battery coupled to the vehicle, and the one or more charging conditions comprise one or more of temperature surrounding the vehicle and infrastructure surrounding the power transmitter.