System for contactless energy transfer, use of a system for contactless energy transfer and vehicle with a system for contactless energy transfer between a first vehicle component and a second vehicle component

• US 9,862,338 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2013
• Issued: 01/09/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Original Assignee: Airbus Operations GmbH (Airbus SE)
• Inventors: Bauer, Hans-Achim, Zybala, Andre, Rathge, Christian
• Primary Examiner(s): Fureman, Jared
• Assistant Examiner(s): Barnett, Joel
• Application Number:
  US13/921,767
• Publication Number:
  US 20130278053A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,665 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/03 for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems or for circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 11/0624 Arrangements of electrical connectors, e.g. for earphone, internet or electric supply
• 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 2310/44 for aircrafts
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/005 Mechanical details of housing or structure aiming to accommodate the power transfer means, e.g. mechanical integration of coils, antennas or transducers into emitting or receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/402 the two or more transmitting or the two or more receiving devices being integrated in the same unit, e.g. power mats with several coils or antennas with several sub-antennas
• 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: H02J 7/00304 Overcurrent protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

A system for contactless energy transmission includes a transformer formed by a primary winding and a secondary winding, which transformer is designed so as to be resonant as a result of capacitors. By measuring and comparing electrical state variables on the primary side and on the secondary side the efficiency of the transmission of electrical power from the primary side to the secondary side is determined, and by varying the resonance frequency of the transformer or of the frequency of a primary voltage applied to the primary winding the resonance frequency and the primary voltage frequency are attuned to each other.

Claims

1. A system for contactless energy transmission, comprising:

a resonant transformer with a primary winding in a primary core, a secondary winding in a secondary core mechanically not connected to the primary core, and at least one capacitor,

a primary control unit,

a secondary control unit,

a measuring device connected to the secondary winding and to the secondary control unit for acquiring an electrical state variable in the secondary winding,

a primary inverter, connected to the primary winding, with variable frequency, and

a modulator-demodulator device for transmitting data between the primary control unit and the secondary control unit by way of the transformer,

wherein the primary control unit is connected in a controlling manner to the primary inverter, and the primary control unit is configured to change the frequency of the primary inverter when the primary control unit receives a frequency change signal, and

the secondary control unit is configured, depending on the change in the electrical state variable, to transmit a signal for a frequency change in the primary inverter to the primary control unit such that a frequency of a primary voltage present at the primary winding corresponds to a resonance frequency of the resonant transformer during power transmission,

wherein the system further comprises a coupling device configured to individually connect one of a plurality of primary inverters selectively to one of a group of primary windings.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the primary inverter comprises a frequency generator and is configured to generate an alternating voltage with a waveform following a waveform generated by the frequency generator.

3. The system of claim 1,

wherein the primary control unit is connectable in a controllable manner to the plurality of primary inverters.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the coupling device is configured to subject all the available primary windings over a predetermined duration to an alternating voltage and to measure the resulting current intensity in the respective primary windings.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising a primary measuring device for determining an electrical state variable present at the primary winding.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a secondary inverter connected to the secondary winding and configured to provide a voltage of a predetermined frequency to electrical consumers.

7. The system of claim 1, further comprising a primary rectifier arranged upstream of the primary inverter.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising a primary measuring device for determining an electrical state variable present at the primary winding, wherein the primary measuring device is connected to the primary rectifier.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the primary control unit is configured to transmit the value of the determined electrical state variable to the secondary control unit.

10. A vehicle, comprising a system for wireless energy transmission, the system comprising:

a resonant transformer with a primary winding in a primary core, a secondary winding in a secondary core mechanically not connected to the primary core, and at least one capacitor,

a primary control unit,

a secondary control unit,

a measuring device connected to the secondary winding and to the secondary control unit for acquiring an electrical state variable in the secondary winding,

a primary inverter, connected to the primary winding, with variable frequency, and

a modulator-demodulator device for transmitting data between the primary control unit and the secondary control unit by way of the transformer,

wherein the primary control unit is connected in a controlling manner to the primary inverter, and the primary control unit is configured to change the frequency of the primary inverter when the primary control unit receives a frequency change signal, and

the secondary control unit is configured, depending on the change in the electrical state variable, to transmit a signal for a frequency change in the primary inverter to the primary control unit,

wherein the system further comprises a coupling device configured to individually connect one of a plurality of primary inverters selectively to one of a group of primary windings.

11. The vehicle of claim 10, comprising a first vehicle component affixed to the vehicle, and a second vehicle component movable relative to the first vehicle component, wherein the first vehicle component comprises at least one primary element, and the second vehicle component comprises a secondary element.

12. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the first vehicle component is a floor, and the second vehicle component is a passenger seat.

13. The vehicle of claim 10, wherein the first vehicle component is a cladding element, and the second vehicle component is a PSU.