Systems, methods, and apparatus for living object protection in wireless power transfer applications

• US 9,983,300 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2015
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WiTricity Corporation
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Sieber, Lukas, Chopra, Swagat
• Primary Examiner(s): Brainard, Timothy A
• Application Number:
  US14/801,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20160109564A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,048 Days
• Field of Search: 342 27
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/147 electro magnetic [EMI]
• 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 53/124 Detection or removal of foreign bodies
• 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 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/04 Systems determining presence of a target based on relative movement of target G01S13/56
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/06 Systems determining position data of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/42 Simultaneous measurement of distance and other co-ordinates indirect measurement G01S13/46
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/56 for presence detection presence detection using near field arrangements G01V3/00, e.g. G01V3/08, G01V3/12; burglar, theft or intruder alarms with electrical actuation G08B13/22 - G08B13/26
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/58 Velocity or trajectory determination systems; Sense-of-movement determination systems
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/87 Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/88 Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/415 Identification of targets based on measurements of movement associated with the target
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

Systems, methods, and apparatus for living object protection in wireless power transfer applications are provided. In one aspect, an apparatus for detecting objects in a detection area of a wireless power transfer system is provided. The apparatus comprises a plurality of radar transceivers. The apparatus comprises at least one processor configured to receive radar data from the plurality of radar transceivers, detect an object in the detection area based on the received radar data, and adjust the detection area. The apparatus is configured to adjust the detection area based on at least one of a type of chargeable vehicle present, an amount of power being wirelessly transferred by the wireless power transfer system, an alignment of a vehicle with the wireless power transfer system, or a speed of the object approaching the detection area.

Claims

1. An apparatus for detecting objects in a detection area of a wireless power transfer system, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of radar transceivers; and

at least one processor configured to;

receive radar data from the plurality of radar transceivers,

detect an object in the detection area based on the received radar data, and

adjust the detection area based on an amount of power being wirelessly transferred by the wireless power transfer system.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to further adjust the detection area based on at least one of a type of chargeable vehicle present, an alignment of a vehicle with the wireless power transfer system, or a speed of the object approaching the detection area.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of radar transceivers comprises a transmit antenna and a receive antenna, a distance between the transmit antenna and the receive antenna based on a desired detection area.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine at least one of a distance, a speed, a position, a direction and a size of the object with respect to at least one of the plurality of radar transceivers.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to:

process the received radar data according to one or both of a time domain algorithm and a frequency domain algorithm, and

determine a presence of the object based on at least one of the time domain processed radar data satisfying a first detection criteria or the frequency domain processed radar data satisfying a second detection criteria.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein processing the received radar data according to the time domain algorithm comprises determining an envelope waveform based on a plurality of discrete samples of the received radar data to form the time domain processed radar data, and wherein the first detection criteria comprises an envelope waveform amplitude threshold.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processor is further configured to determine the envelope waveform by, for each of the plurality of discrete samples:

determining an average of an absolute value of a predetermined number of the discrete samples adjacent to and including a corresponding one of the discrete samples, and

assigning the average to the corresponding discrete sample, wherein the envelope waveform comprises the assigned averages for each of the plurality of discrete samples.

8. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein processing the received radar data according to the frequency domain algorithm comprises:

assigning each of a plurality of discrete samples of the received radar data to one of a plurality of sections, and

separately performing a fast fourier transform on each of the plurality of sections to generate a frequency response indication for each of the plurality of sections, wherein the frequency domain processed radar data comprises the frequency response indications and the second detection criteria comprises a frequency amplitude threshold.

9. A method for detecting objects in a detection area of a wireless power transfer system, the method comprising:

transmitting a radar signal utilizing at least one of a plurality of radar transceivers,

receiving the radar signal utilizing the at least one of the plurality of radar transceivers,

receiving radar data associated with the received radar signal,

detecting an object in the detection area based on the received radar data, and

adjusting the detection area based on an amount of power being wirelessly transferred by the wireless power transfer system.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the detection area is further adjusted based on at, least one of a type of chargeable vehicle present, an alignment of a vehicle with the wireless power transfer system, or a speed of an object approaching the detection area.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising basing a distance between a transmit antenna and a receive antenna on each of the plurality of radar transceivers on a desired detection area.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining at least one of a distance, a speed, a position, a direction and a size of the object with respect to at least one of the plurality of radar transceivers.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

processing the received radar data according to one or both of a time domain algorithm and a frequency domain algorithm, and

determining a presence of the object based on at least one of the time domain processed radar data satisfying a first detection criteria or the frequency domain processed radar data satisfying a second detection criteria.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein processing the received radar data according to the time domain algorithm comprises determining an envelope waveform based on a plurality of discrete samples of the received radar data to form the time domain processed radar data, and wherein the first detection criteria comprises an envelope waveform amplitude threshold.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein determining the envelope waveform comprises, for each of the plurality of discrete samples:

determining an average of an absolute value of a predetermined number of the discrete samples adjacent to and including a corresponding one of the discrete samples, and

assigning the average to the corresponding discrete sample, wherein the envelope waveform comprises the assigned averages for each of the plurality of discrete samples.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein processing the received radar data according to the frequency domain algorithm comprises:

assigning each of a plurality of discrete samples of the received radar data to one of a plurality of sections, and

separately performing a fast fourier transform on each of the plurality of sections to generate a frequency response indication for each of the plurality of sections, wherein the frequency domain processed radar data comprises the frequency response indications and the second detection criteria comprises a frequency amplitude threshold.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising code that, when executed, causes an apparatus for detecting objects in a detection area of a wireless power transfer system to:

transmit a radar signal utilizing at least one of a plurality of radar transceivers,

receive the radar signal utilizing the at least one of the plurality of radar transceivers,

receive radar data associated with the received radar signal,

detect an object in a detection area based on the received radar data, and

adjust the detection area based on an amount of power being wirelessly transferred by the wireless power transfer system.

18. The medium of claim 17, wherein the code, when executed, causes the apparatus to further adjust the detection area based on at least one of a type of chargeable vehicle present, an alignment of a vehicle with the wireless power transfer system, or a speed of an object approaching the detection area.

19. The medium of claim 17, wherein a distance between a transmit antenna and a receive antenna in each of the plurality of radar transceivers is based on a desired detection area.

20. The medium of claim 17, wherein the code, when executed, causes the apparatus to determine at least one of a distance, a speed, a position, a direction and a size of the object with respect to at least one of the plurality of radar transceivers.

21. The medium of claim 17, wherein the code, when executed, causes the apparatus to:

process the received radar data according to one or both of a time domain algorithm and a frequency domain algorithm, and

determine a presence of the object based on at least one of the time domain processed radar data satisfying a first detection criteria or the frequency domain processed radar data satisfying a second detection criteria.

22. The medium of claim 21, wherein the code, when executed, causes the apparatus to process the received radar data according to the time domain algorithm by detei mining an envelope waveform based on a plurality of discrete samples of the received radar data to form the time domain processed radar data, and wherein the first detection criteria comprises an envelope waveform amplitude threshold.

23. The medium of claim 22, wherein the code, when executed, causes the apparatus to determine the envelope waveform by, for each of the plurality of discrete samples:

determining an average of an absolute value of a predetermined number of the discrete samples adjacent to and including a corresponding one of the discrete samples, and

assigning the average to the corresponding discrete sample, wherein the envelope waveform comprises the assigned averages for each of the plurality of discrete samples.

24. The medium of claim 21, wherein the code, when executed, causes the apparatus to process the received radar data according to the frequency domain algorithm by:

assigning each of a plurality of discrete samples of the received radar data to one of a plurality of sections, and

separately performing a fast fourier transform on each of the plurality of sections to generate a frequency response indication for each of the plurality of sections, wherein the frequency domain processed radar data comprises the frequency response indications and the second detection criteria comprises a frequency amplitude threshold.

25. An apparatus for detecting objects in a detection area of a wireless power transfer system, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of means for transmitting and receiving radar signals;

means for receiving radar data from the plurality of means for transmitting and receiving radar signals;

means for detecting an object in the detection area based on the received radar data; and

means for adjusting the detection area based on an amount of power being wirelessly transferred by the wireless power transfer system.

26. The apparatus of claim 25, wherein the means for adjusting the detection area is configured to further adjust the detection area based on at least one of a type of chargeable vehicle present, an alignment of a vehicle with the wireless power transfer system, or a speed of the object approaching the detection area.

27. The apparatus of claim 25, further comprising:

means for processing the received radar data according to one or both of a time domain algorithm and a frequency domain algorithm, and

means for determining a presence of the object based on at least one of the time domain processed radar data satisfying a first detection criteria or the frequency domain processed radar data satisfying a second detection criteria.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising means for determining an envelope waveform based on a plurality of discrete samples of the received radar data to form the time domain processed radar data, and wherein the first detection criteria comprises an envelope waveform amplitude threshold.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, further comprising:

means for determining an average of an absolute value of a predetermined number of the discrete samples adjacent to and including a corresponding one of the discrete samples, and

means for assigning the average to the corresponding discrete sample, wherein the envelope waveform comprises the assigned averages for each of the plurality of discrete samples.

30. The apparatus of claim 27, further comprising:

means for assigning each of a plurality of discrete samples of the received radar data to one of a plurality of sections, and

means for separately performing a fast fourier transform on each of the plurality of sections to generate a frequency response indication for each of the plurality of sections, wherein the frequency domain processed radar data comprises the frequency response indications and the second detection criteria comprises a frequency amplitude threshold.