Modular wireless electrical system

• US 9,656,563 B2
• Filed: 07/31/2014
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ishigaki, Masanori
• Primary Examiner(s): Fureman, Jared
• Assistant Examiner(s): HTUN, WIN Z
• Application Number:
  US14/447,753
• Publication Number:
  US 20160031330A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,027 Days
• Field of Search: 307104
• 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 53/39 with position-responsive activation of primary coils
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/21 having the same nominal voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/40 using two or more transmitting or receiving devices H02J50/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0019 using switched or multiplexed charge circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/342 The other DC source being a battery actively interacting with the first one, i.e. battery to battery charging with circuits for polarity protection H02J7/0034
• 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

A wireless modular power transfer system includes electric power modules and RF converter circuitry within the electric power modules that meets voltage and power characteristics of the electric power modules. Sensor data is processed to determine a wireless power transfer path. An electric power module is established as a power source by aligning RF converter circuitry as a transmitter, and an electromagnetic field is established as a wireless power transfer area. An electric power module is established as an electric load by aligning RF converter circuitry as a receiver. Power transfer between the electric power modules is controlled through the wireless power transfer area.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a plurality of electric power modules configured to provide power to one or more electrical loads having a plurality of voltage and power characteristics;

RF converter circuitry within the plurality of electric power modules that meets voltage and power characteristics of each of the plurality of electric power modules; and

control circuitry configured to;

determine a wireless power transfer path between two or more of the plurality of electric power modules based on sensor data received from the plurality of electric power modules,

configure first RF converter circuitry of a first electric power module of the plurality of electric power modules as a transmitter;

establish the first electric power module as a power source for a wireless power transfer area connecting the plurality of electric power modules based on the wireless power transfer path,

configure second RF converter circuitry of a second electric power module of the plurality of electric power modules as a receiver to establish the second electric power module as an electrical load in the wireless power transfer path,

configure a second power transfer path in parallel with the wireless power transfer area between two or more of the plurality of electric power modules via a bi-directional voltage converter connecting the two or more of the plurality of electric power modules, and

control power transfer between the plurality of electric power modules through the wireless power transfer area or the bi-directional voltage converter.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to establish parallel paths of the power transfer between the plurality of electric power modules.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to maintain continuity of power to electric components of a vehicle when at least one of the plurality of electric power modules is in a degraded condition.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of electric power modules include one or more battery cells.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to control warm-up the one or more battery cells.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the warm-up of the one or more battery cells includes circulating wireless reactive power between the plurality of electric power modules via the wireless power transfer area at a predetermined frequency.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the predetermined frequency of the wireless reactive power that is circulated between the plurality of electric power modules is determined to be a frequency at which impedance within the battery cell is at an approximate minimum.

8. The system of claim 4, wherein the plurality of electric power modules include photovoltaic cells, super capacitors, or fuel cells.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the plurality of electric power modules include an AC/DC converter for battery charging from an AC outlet.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the plurality of electric power modules provide electric power to one or more electric components of a vehicle.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to control the wireless power transfer during the battery charging from the AC outlet with the AC/DC converter.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of electric power modules can operate as either the power sources or the electrical loads.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the RF converter circuitry within the plurality of electric power modules operates lei-directionally as either the transmitter or the receiver.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the RF converter circuitry is connected in series or parallel to match the voltage and power characteristics of one or more of the plurality of electric power modules that are unequal to the voltage and power characteristics of the RF converter circuitry.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to control the wireless power transfer to maintain state of charge of battery cells within the plurality of electric power modules.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to detect that at least one of the plurality of electric power modules is in a degraded condition based on the sensor data received from the plurality of electric power modules or a detected loss of power to one or more electric loads supplied by the at least one of the plurality of electric power modules.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to modify the wireless power transfer path between the plurality of electric power modules in response to detecting that the at least one of the plurality of electric power modules is in a degraded condition.

18. A method, comprising:

determining a wireless power transfer path between two or more of a plurality of electric power modules based on sensor data received from the plurality of electric power modules;

configuring at least one first RF converter circuit of at least one first electric power module as a transmitter;

establishing the at least one first RF converter circuit as a power source for a wireless power transfer area connecting the plurality of electric power modules based on the wireless power transfer path;

configuring at least one second RF converter circuit of at least one second electric power module as a receiver to establish the at least one second electric power module as an electrical load in the wireless power transfer path;

configuring a second power transfer path in parallel with the wireless power transfer area between two or more of the plurality of electric power modules via a bi-directional voltage converter connecting the two or more of the plurality of electric power modules; and

controlling power transfer between the plurality of electric power modules through the wireless power transfer area or the bi-directional voltage converter.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including executable instructions, which when executed by circuitry, causes the circuitry to perform the method according to claim 18.

20. A system, comprising control circuitry configured to:

determine a wireless power transfer path between two or more of a plurality of electric power modules based, on sensor data received from the plurality of electric power modules,

configure first RF converter circuitry of a first electric power module of the plurality of electric power modules as a transmitter;

establish the first electric power module as a power source for a wireless power transfer area connecting the plurality of electric power modules based on the wireless power transfer path,

configure second RF converter circuitry of a second electric power module of the plurality of electric power modules as a receiver to establish the second electric power module as an electrical load in the wireless power transfer path,

configure a second power transfer path in parallel with the wireless power transfer area between two or more of the plurality of electric power modules via a bi-directional voltage converter connecting the two or more of the plurality of electric power modules, and

control power transfer between the plurality of electric power modules through the wireless power transfer area or the bi-directional voltage converter.