Contactless battery system utilizing a bidirectional power converter
First Claim
1. A battery unit comprising:
- a sealed housing with no external electrical contacts;
a battery enclosed by the sealed housing, wherein the battery is configured to selectively store direct current (DC) power and selectively provide DC power;
a coil enclosed by the sealed housing;
a bidirectional power converter having an alternating current (AC) terminal connected to the coil, a DC input terminal, a DC output terminal, a direction control, and a transmission enable input, wherein the bidirectional power converter has a transmit mode operable to provide AC output power to the coil from the battery and a receive mode operable to receive AC power via the coil and provide a DC output to the DC output terminal;
a battery management system connected to the battery, the DC input terminal, and the DC output terminal, wherein the battery management system is responsive to a charge signal to selectively provide DC power to the battery for storage from the DC output of the bidirectional power converter and to provide DC power received from the battery to the DC input of the bidirectional power converter;
a digital hall effect sensor configured to sense proximity of a permanent magnet of a cart bidirectional power converter assembly and provide a binary presence signal indicative of the proximity of the permanent magnet; and
a microprocessor connected to the direction control of the bidirectional power converter, the transmission enable input of the bidirectional power converter, the digital hall effect sensor, and the battery management system, wherein the microprocessor is configured to determine a mode of the bidirectional power converter from the cart bidirectional power converter assembly, and in the transmit mode;
set the battery management system to provide DC power from the battery to the DC input of the bidirectional power converter by providing the charge signal;
set the bidirectional power converter to the transmit mode via the direction control input; and
provide a transmit enable signal to the transmission enable input of the bidirectional power converter in response to receiving the binary presence signal from the digital hall effect sensor indicating the presence of the permanent magnet of the cart bidirectional power converter assembly; and
, in the receive mode;
set the battery management system to provide DC power to the battery for storage from the DC output of the bidirectional power converter via the charge signal; and
set the bidirectional power converter to the receive mode via the direction control input.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A bidirectional power converter circuit is controlled via a hysteresis loop such that the bidirectional power converter circuit can compensate for variations and even changes in transmit and receive coil locations without damaging components of the system. Because the bidirectional power converter is capable of both transmitting and receiving power (at different times), one circuit and board may be used as the main component in multiple wireless power converter designs. A first bidirectional power converter is employed in a sealed battery unit having no external electrical contacts. A second bidirectional power converter is employed in a corresponding cart bidirectional power converter assembly. The battery unit and the cart bidirectional power converter assembly cooperate to wirelessly transmit power from the battery unit to a load of the cart bidirectional power converter assembly and from a power source to the battery unit via the cart bidirectional power converter assembly.
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Citations
14 Claims
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1. A battery unit comprising:
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a sealed housing with no external electrical contacts; a battery enclosed by the sealed housing, wherein the battery is configured to selectively store direct current (DC) power and selectively provide DC power; a coil enclosed by the sealed housing; a bidirectional power converter having an alternating current (AC) terminal connected to the coil, a DC input terminal, a DC output terminal, a direction control, and a transmission enable input, wherein the bidirectional power converter has a transmit mode operable to provide AC output power to the coil from the battery and a receive mode operable to receive AC power via the coil and provide a DC output to the DC output terminal; a battery management system connected to the battery, the DC input terminal, and the DC output terminal, wherein the battery management system is responsive to a charge signal to selectively provide DC power to the battery for storage from the DC output of the bidirectional power converter and to provide DC power received from the battery to the DC input of the bidirectional power converter; a digital hall effect sensor configured to sense proximity of a permanent magnet of a cart bidirectional power converter assembly and provide a binary presence signal indicative of the proximity of the permanent magnet; and a microprocessor connected to the direction control of the bidirectional power converter, the transmission enable input of the bidirectional power converter, the digital hall effect sensor, and the battery management system, wherein the microprocessor is configured to determine a mode of the bidirectional power converter from the cart bidirectional power converter assembly, and in the transmit mode; set the battery management system to provide DC power from the battery to the DC input of the bidirectional power converter by providing the charge signal; set the bidirectional power converter to the transmit mode via the direction control input; and provide a transmit enable signal to the transmission enable input of the bidirectional power converter in response to receiving the binary presence signal from the digital hall effect sensor indicating the presence of the permanent magnet of the cart bidirectional power converter assembly; and
, in the receive mode;set the battery management system to provide DC power to the battery for storage from the DC output of the bidirectional power converter via the charge signal; and set the bidirectional power converter to the receive mode via the direction control input. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. A cart bidirectional power converter assembly comprising:
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a cradle configured to receive a battery unit; a permanent magnet configured to be in proximity with a digital hall effect sensor of the battery unit when the battery unit is in the cradle; a coil configured to be aligned with a coil of the battery unit when the battery unit is in the cradle; a bidirectional power converter connected to the coil and configured to receive power from the battery unit via the coil when the battery unit is in the cradle, a bidirectional power converter of the battery unit is in a transmit mode, and the bidirectional power converter is in a receive mode; and
to provide power from a direct current (DC) input of the bidirectional power converter to the coil when the bidirectional power converter is in a transmit mode;a power distribution assembly configured to; provide power from a DC output of the bidirectional power converter to a load of the cart bidirectional power converter when the power distribution assembly is not connected to a power source; provide power from the power source to the DC input of the bidirectional power converter and to the load when the power distribution assembly is connected to the power source; and provide a mode signal as a function of whether the power distribution assembly is receiving power from the power source; and a microprocessor connected to a directional control of the bidirectional power converter and to the power distribution assembly, wherein the microprocessor is responsive to the mode signal from the power distribution assembly to set a mode of the bidirectional power converter to a transmit mode when the power distribution assembly is receiving power from the power source and set the bidirectional power converter to a receive mode when the bidirectional power converter is not receiving power from the power source, and wherein the microprocessor is configured to communicate with a microprocessor of the battery unit to set a mode of the bidirectional power converter of the battery unit to a transmit mode when the power distribution assembly is not receiving power from the power source and to set the mode of the bidirectional power converter of the battery unit to a receive mode when the power distribution assembly is receiving power from the power source. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
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Specification