Conformal body capacitors suitable for vehicles

• US 9,966,790 B2
• Filed: 08/12/2014
• Issued: 05/08/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ndsu-Research Foundation, University of North Dakota (North Dakota University System)
• Original Assignee: Ndsu-Research Foundation, University of North Dakota (North Dakota University System)
• Inventors: Bridgelall, Raj, Corcoran, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Thienvu
• Assistant Examiner(s): Stables, David M
• Application Number:
  US14/457,662
• Publication Number:
  US 20150249362A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,365 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/10 Air crafts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/662 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/20 having different nominal voltages
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 1/00 Fuselages; Constructional features common to fuselages, wings, stabilising surfaces or the like
• CPC Class Codes: B64D 2221/00 Electric power distribution systems onboard aircraft
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 10/25 Fixed-wing aircraft VTOL aircraft B64U10/20
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/65 Composite materials
• CPC Class Codes: B64U 20/70 Constructional aspects of the UAV body
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/10 Multiple hybrid or EDL capacitors, e.g. arrays or modules housings, cases, encapsulations or mountings thereof H01G11/78
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 11/76 specially adapted for integration in multiple or stacked hybrid or EDL capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/44 for aircrafts
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/345 using capacitors as storage or buffering devices
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/13 Energy storage using capacitors
• 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 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A vehicle system includes a plurality of capacitors each forming a portion of a vehicle structure, and a parallel electrical link between a pair of the plurality of capacitors, such that the pair of capacitors act as an aggregate capacitor.

Claims

1. A vehicle system comprising:

a plurality of capacitors arranged in a ring shape, each capacitor having a partial ring shape forming a portion of a vehicle structure; and

a parallel electrical link between a pair of the plurality of capacitors, such that the pair of capacitors act as an aggregate capacitor; and

a pair of generally circumferential gaps between the pair of capacitors, wherein the parallel electrical link connecting the pair of capacitors electrically connects anodes of the respective capacitors across one of the generally circumferential gaps and further connects cathodes of the respective capacitors across the other of the generally circumferential gaps.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein a second pair of the plurality of capacitors are electrically linked and are arranged in a ring shape, wherein the second pair of capacitors is further electrically linked to the pair of capacitors to act as part of the aggregate capacitor.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of capacitors is configured as a super-capacitor.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of capacitors forms a portion of an aircraft fuselage with a geometry generally matching an exterior contour of the aircraft fuselage.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of capacitors forms a portion of a cambered aircraft wing with a geometry generally matching an exterior contour of the aircraft fuselage.

6. The system of claim 1 and further comprising:

a power source;

a charging circuit;

a battery; and

at least one other of the plurality of capacitors is electrically connected between the charging circuit and the battery,

wherein the pair of capacitors acting as the aggregate capacitor are configured as an auxiliary energy capacitor electrically connected to the charging circuit in parallel with the power source.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the power source includes an energy harvesting source.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein a second pair of the plurality of capacitors are electrically linked and are arranged in a ring shape, wherein the second pair of capacitors is electrically linked to act as a second aggregate capacitor, and wherein the aggregate capacitor and the second aggregate capacitor perform different functions.

9. The system of claim 1 and further comprising:

a power distribution panel to dynamically configure the electrical link between the pair of capacitors as a function of operational conditions.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the capacitors is shaped to define an interior volume, and has a non-planar contour that influences at least one of lift and drag along an exterior of the vehicle.

11. The vehicle system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of capacitors comprises a first band, the first band comprising:

an anode plate layer;

a cathode plate layer; and

a dielectric layer positioned between the anode plate layer and the cathode plate layer to create the capacitor,

wherein the first band is shaped to have opposite ends extending in the same direction away from a middle portion.

12. The vehicle system of claim 11, wherein the at least one of the plurality of capacitors further comprises a second band, the second band having a non-planar contour, the second band comprising:

an anode plate layer;

a cathode plate layer; and

a dielectric layer positioned between the anode plate layer and the cathode plate layer to create a capacitor, and

the vehicle system further comprising a vehicle body perimeter, wherein portions of the vehicle body perimeter are defined by the first and second bands,

wherein the first band and the second band are electrically connected in parallel to form an aggregate capacitor.

13. A vehicle power system comprising:

a battery;

a charging circuit; and

a plurality of capacitors each having a partial ring shape, the plurality of capacitors forming portions of a vehicle body, wherein a first aggregation of the plurality of capacitors are electrically linked in parallel to act collectively as an auxiliary energy capacitor electrically connected to the charging circuit, wherein a second aggregation of the plurality of capacitors are electrically linked in parallel to act collectively as a charge buffer capacitor electrically connected between the charging circuit and the battery, and wherein a third aggregation of the plurality of capacitors are electrically linked in parallel to act collectively as a voltage stabilization capacitor electrically connected between the battery and an electrical load, wherein a first pair of the plurality of capacitors are arranged in a ring shape with a circumferential gap between the first pair of capacitors, and further wherein the parallel electrical link connecting the pair of capacitors electrically connects anodes of the respective capacitors across one of the generally circumferential gaps and further connects cathodes of the respective capacitors across the other of the generally circumferential gaps.

14. The system of claim 13 and further comprising:

an external power source electrically connected to the charging circuit in parallel with the auxiliary energy capacitor.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein a second pair of the plurality of capacitors are electrically linked and are arranged in a ring shape, wherein the second pair of capacitors is further electrically linked to the first pair of capacitors to act as part of the first aggregation of the plurality of capacitors.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the vehicle is an aircraft and at least one of the plurality of capacitors forms a portion of a fuselage of the aircraft.

17. The system of claim 13, wherein the vehicle is an aircraft and at least one of the plurality of capacitors forms a portion of a wing of the aircraft.

18. The system of claim 13 and further comprising:

a power distribution panel to dynamically configure the electrical links between some of the plurality of capacitors to define at least one of the first, second and third aggregations of the plurality of capacitors as a function of operational conditions.