Intelligent wireless power transferring system with automatic positioning

• US 9,660,487 B1
• Filed: 06/13/2016
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2016
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Megau, LLC
• Original Assignee: Megau, LLC
• Inventors: Mu, Mingkai, Nie, Zhong
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mourad, Rasem
• Application Number:
  US15/181,196
• Time in Patent Office: 344 Days
• 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 53/36 by positioning the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/39 with position-responsive activation of primary coils
• 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 50/60 responsive to the presence of foreign objects, e.g. detection of living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields
• 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

Abstract

An automatic-positioning wireless power transfer system to wirelessly charge power to an object and is also capable of wirelessly harvesting power from an object. The power transfer system consists of a mobile housing configured to autonomously move about the object, and has a tiltable transceiver. The mobile housing can be tethered to a base station via a cable, or not physically tethered to a base station when it travels.

Claims

1. An automatic positioning wireless power transfer system to provide wireless power transfer to and from an object in need of said power transfer, said transfer system comprising:

a mobile housing having a plurality of wheels and an internal power storage entirely contained within the mobile housing, the mobile housing configured to change a direction of travel and automatically sense the object approaching the mobile housing to enjoy a degree of freedom using its plurality of wheels to autonomously go in front of, along sides thereof, under and around the object and a retractable arm to tilt and raise the mobile housing to achieve alignment of a first transceiver of the mobile housing and a second transceiver of the object independent of whether said object occupies a designated space;

the first transceiver coupled to and disposed on said mobile housing;

wherein said object has the second transceiver configured to transmit power wirelessly, or to receive power wirelessly, or both;

wherein said first transceiver is configured to transmit power wirelessly to said second transceiver, and to receive power wirelessly from said second transceiver;

a control module to detect and automatically align said first and second transceivers;

wherein said first transceiver is configured to autonomously move in a horizontal direction to align with said second transceiver;

wherein said first transceiver has a transmission vector, said first transceiver is configured to tilt relative to the mobile housing, thereby causing said vector to tilt between a zero degree angle to a 90 degree angle;

wherein said control module is configured to automatically determine between a transmitting mode and a receiving mode, wherein the transmitting mode transmits power to the object, and wherein the receiving mode receives power from the object; and

a base station configured to transfer power to and from said mobile housing, wherein the base station is coupled to a power source.

2. The wireless power transfer system as recited in claim 1, wherein the power source is a power grid, and wherein the mobile housing is either:

(a) physically tethered to the base station via only a cable, as the mobile housing freely moves about the object, or

(b) not physically tethered to the base station when the mobile housing freely moves about the object, and transfers power wirelessly with said base station, and wherein said mobile housing has an internal energy storage.

3. The wireless power transfer system as recited in claim 2 further comprising at least one sensor to detect a location of said second transceiver on the object, and a logic to derive a detected location data.

4. The wireless power transfer system as recited in claim 3 further comprising at least one attachable tracker configured to be attached on or about said second transceiver, wherein said at least one sensor senses the at least one attachable tracker to detect said location of the second transceiver.

5. The wireless power transfer system as recited in claim 3 further comprising a communication module configured to transmit data and commands.

6. The wireless power transfer system as recited in claim 3, wherein the at least one sensor is configured to sense an angle of tilt in said second transceiver, and said control module is configured to cause said first transceiver to tilt in response to the angle of tilt.

7. The wireless power transfer system as recited in claim 2, wherein the cable is retractable at a distal end of the cable, or retractable at a proximal end of the cable, or at both ends of the cable.

8. The wireless power transfer system as recited in claim 2, wherein the cable is stored either in the mobile housing or in the base station, or both, and as the mobile housing moves about the object, the cable is extended and retracted.

9. The wireless power transfer system as recited in claim 2 wherein the power storage contained within the mobile housing and requires no tethering to said base station, wherein the power storage is configured to store:

(a) power that is to be transmitted to the object, and/or

(b) power that is to be received from the object.

10. The wireless power transfer system as recited in claim 2, wherein the object is one selected from a group consisting of a land vehicle, a water craft, an aircraft, a stationary machine, a mobile machine, a robot, and a solar panel;

and wherein the second transceiver is located either at a side, at a top, or at a bottom of the object.

11. A method of using a mobile power transfer system to wirelessly charging and/or collecting power from an object, said method comprising:

providing a mobile housing having a first transceiver, wherein the mobile housing is configured to freely and autonomously move about and automatically sense the object approaching the mobile housing to enjoy a degree of freedom using its plurality of wheels to autonomously go in front of, along sides thereof, under and around the object and a retractable arm to tilt and raise the mobile housing to achieve alignment of a first transceiver of the mobile housing and a second transceiver of the object independent of whether said object occupies a designated space;

sensing a location of a second transceiver on the object;

automatically causing a distance between a first transceiver of the wireless transfer system and the second transceiver to shorten, and aligning a plane of said first transceiver with a plane of said second transceiver by tilting at least one of said first transceiver and said second transceiver;

determining between a transmitting mode and a receiving mode, wherein the transmitting mode transmits power to the object, and wherein the receiving mode receives power from the object;

wherein the mobile housing is either;

(a) physically tethered to the base station via only a cable, as the mobile housing freely moves about the object, or

(b) not physically tethered to the base station and the mobile housing freely moves about the object, and transfers power wirelessly with the base station, and wherein said mobile housing has an internal energy storage entirely contained within;

wherein the shortened distance is configured to achieve at least one of the following;

(a) improve charging efficiency,

(b) reduce electromagnetic radiation, and

(c) increase power level.

12. The method as recited in claim 11 further comprising sensing an angle of tilt in the second transceiver.

13. The method as recited in claim 11 further comprising automatically moving and tilting said first transceiver towards said second transceiver to shorten said distance.

14. The method as recited in claim 11 further comprising automatically moving and tilting said second transceiver towards said first transceiver to shorten said distance.

15. The method as recited in claim 11 further comprising automatic sensing is performed by at least one sensor and a communication module.

16. The method as recited in claim 11 further comprising automatically moving said first transceiver away from said object when power transfer is completed.

17. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the second transceiver is disposed on at least a side, a top, or a bottom of said object, and wherein said first transceiver is configured to move in x, y, and z coordinates, relative to the mobile housing.

18. The method as recited in claim 11, wherein the first transceiver is configured to self-center relative to said second transceiver, using at least one step selected from

a) detecting and calculating the location of a center of a coil in the second transceiver;

b) physically coupling into a centering position based on a corresponding coupling shape between the first transceiver and the second transceiver; and

c) detecting the locations of a least two detachable trackers previously attached near the second transceiver.