Contactless power transfer system

• US 9,552,920 B2
• Filed: 04/28/2011
• Issued: 01/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Bhat, Suma Memana Narayana, Bohori, Adnan Kutubuddin, Kumar, Neeraj Kamal Singh, Ramachandrapanicker, Somakumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIGGUSH, AARON C
• Application Number:
  US13/096,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20120025942A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,098 Days
• Field of Search: 320/104, 320/108, 320/109, 320/134, 180/65.1, 903/903
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• 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 53/18 Cables specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/30 Constructional details of charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/34 Plug-like or socket-like devices specially adapted for contactless inductive charging of electric vehicles positioning means for charging devices using inductive energy transfer B60L53/38
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/67 Controlling two or more charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 55/00 Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/126 : the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]

Abstract

A system, such as a charging system, is provided. The system can include a coil. A connection module can be coupled to the coil and configured to allow the coil to communicate with an energy source to generate a magnetic field. A field-focusing element can be included, the field-focusing element acting to focus the magnetic field when the magnetic field varies in time at a predetermined rate. In one embodiment, the field-focusing element may be configured to focus the magnetic field in an area separated from the coil by at least about 5 cm.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a primary coil;

a connection module coupled to said primary coil and configured to allow said primary coil to communicate with an energy source to generate a primary magnetic field;

a propulsion system;

an energy storage module configured to exchange energy with said propulsion system;

a secondary coil electrically coupled to said energy storage module; and

a field-focusing element comprising a plurality of resonators,

wherein when the primary magnetic field varies in time at a predetermined rate, said plurality of resonators upon excitation from the primary coil interfere constructively in a direction of said secondary coil and interfere destructively in a remaining space to focus the magnetic field received from said primary coil around said secondary coil, wherein said secondary coil is configured to receive energy from said energy storage module to generate a secondary magnetic field, and wherein said field-focusing element is configured such that, when the secondary magnetic field varies in time at a predetermined rate, said field-focusing element acts to focus the secondary magnetic field around said primary coil.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said primary coil and said secondary coil are separated by at least about 5 cm when the primary magnetic field is focused around said secondary coil.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein said propulsion system is configured to selectively transport said secondary coil so as to be disposed such that said field-focusing element acts to focus the primary magnetic field around said secondary coil.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said energy storage module includes at least one battery.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said primary coil is disposed behind a surface that is configured to allow said propulsion system to be selectively positioned proximal thereto and in an area of focus of the primary magnetic field.