Power system for ground-based machines

• US 9,484,148 B1
• Filed: 07/02/2013
• Issued: 11/01/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Original Assignee: The Boeing Co.
• Inventors: McDonagh, Daniel Mark, Westgard, William Goodridge, Crespo, Carlos D., Reid, Eric M., DesJardien, Matthew R., Best, Steven A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Fureman, Jared
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barnett, Joel
• Application Number:
  US13/933,620
• Time in Patent Office: 1,218 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/44 Industrial trucks or floor conveyors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/62 Vehicle position
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/36 by positioning the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 9/00 Electric propulsion with power supply external to the vehicle electric propulsion for monorail vehicles, suspension vehicles or rack railways B60L13/00; in combination with batteries or fuel cells within the vehicle B60L50/53
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/60 Electric or hybrid propulsion means for production processes
• 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

A method for distributing energy to a group of ground-based machines. The energy is supplied to the group of ground-based machines through a pattern of inductive power transfer lines physically associated with a ground in a work area. Operations are performed with the group of ground-based machines in the work area. The group of ground-based machines moves in the work area without following a path based on the inductive power transfer lines.

Claims

1. An apparatus comprising:

a pattern of inductive power transfer lines physically associated with a ground in a work area; and

a ground-based machine configured to move in the work area and comprising an inductive power transfer system on the ground-based machine and configured to obtain energy for the ground-based machine from the pattern of the inductive power transfer lines, wherein the inductive power transfer system comprises an inductive power transfer unit that is moveable on the ground-based machine with respect to the ground-based machine.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the inductive power transfer system further comprises:

an energy storage system configured to store the energy for the ground-based machine.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the inductive power transfer system is configured to obtain energy for the ground-based machine from the pattern of the inductive power transfer lines when the ground-based machine moves without following a path corresponding to the pattern of inductive power transfer lines.

4. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the inductive power transfer system generates first energy and the energy storage system generates second energy, wherein the energy storage system generates the second energy to perform at least one of replacing the first energy when the inductive power transfer system is unable to generate the first energy or supplementing the first energy when additional energy is needed.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a tool system on the ground-based machine obtains energy from at least one of the inductive power transfer system or an energy storage system.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising:

a sensor system configured to identify a position of an inductive power transfer line in the pattern of the inductive power transfer lines.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the inductive power transfer system

is configured to increase the energy obtained for the ground-based machine from the pattern of the inductive power transfer lines from a location of the position of the inductive power transfer line.

8. The apparatus of claim 6 further comprising:

a controller configured to control movement of the ground-based machine from positions of the inductive power transfer line detected by the sensor system.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the

inductive power transfer unit is configured to move to different positions on the ground-based machine relative to the ground-based machine to maintain a distance of the inductive power transfer unit on the ground-based machine with respect to an inductive power transfer line in the pattern of the inductive power transfer lines when the ground-based machine is moving away from or toward the inductive power transfer line.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the inductive power transfer unit is configured to move to different orientations on the ground-based machine relative to the ground-based machine to maintain alignment of the inductive power transfer unit on the ground-based machine with respect to an inductive power transfer line in the pattern of the inductive power transfer lines when the ground-based machine is moving to change an orientation of the ground-based machine with respect to the inductive power transfer line.

11. A wireless power transfer system comprising:

a power source configured to generate energy;

a pattern of inductive power transfer lines physically associated with a ground in a work area and connected to the power source; and

a power system configured to obtain the energy for a ground-based machine from the pattern of the inductive power transfer lines, wherein;

the power system comprises an inductive power transfer unit that is moveable on the ground-based machine with respect to the ground-based machine; and

the power system and the pattern of inductive power transfer lines are configured such that the power system obtains energy for the ground-based machine without the ground-based machine being aligned parallel to the inductive power transfer lines.

12. The wireless power transfer system of claim 11 further comprising:

the ground-based machine configured to perform operations in the work area.

13. The wireless power transfer system of claim 11, wherein the power system comprises:

an inductive power transfer system configured to obtain the energy from the pattern of inductive power transfer lines.

14. The wireless power transfer system of claim 13, wherein the power system further comprises:

an energy storage system configured to store the energy for the ground-based machine.

15. The wireless power transfer system of claim 12, wherein the operations are selected from at least one of manufacturing operations or maintenance operations.

16. The wireless power transfer system of claim 11, wherein the power system comprises:

an inductive power transfer unit physically associated with the ground-based machine, wherein the inductive power transfer unit is configured to move relative to the ground-based machine with respect to an inductive power transfer line in the pattern of inductive power transfer lines to a desired position to obtain a desired level of energy from the inductive power transfer line.

17. A method for distributing energy to a ground-based machine the method comprising:

supplying the energy to the ground-based machine through a pattern of inductive power transfer lines physically associated with a ground in a work area;

moving an inductive power transfer unit physically associated with the ground-based machine relative to the ground-based machine; and

performing operations with the ground-based machine in the work area, wherein the ground-based machine obtains energy without being aligned parallel to the pattern of inductive power transfer lines.

18. The method of claim 17,

wherein the inductive power transfer unit is configured to move relative to the ground-based machine with respect to an inductive power transfer line in the pattern of the inductive power transfer lines to a desired position to obtain a desired level of energy from the inductive power transfer line.