Contactless battery system utilizing a bidirectional power converter
First Claim
1. A battery unit comprising:
- a battery configured to selectively store direct current (DC) power and selectively provide DC power;
a coil;
a bidirectional power converter connected to the coil, the bidirectional power converter including a DC input terminal connected to the battery, and a DC output terminal connected to the battery wherein the bidirectional power converter is configured to selectively operate ina transmit mode operable to provide power from the battery to the coil, anda receive mode operable to receive power from the coil and provide power to the battery for storage via the DC output terminal;
a hall effect sensor configured to sense proximity of a magnet and provide a presence signal indicative of the proximity of the magnet; and
a microprocessor connected to the bidirectional power converter and the hall effect sensor, wherein the microprocessor is configured to communicate with a cart bidirectional power converter assembly,wherein the microprocessor is further configured to, in response to the microprocessor communicating with the cart bidirectional power converter assembly,set the bidirectional power converter to operate in the transmit mode, andprovide a transmission enable signal to the bidirectional power converter in response to receiving the presence signal from the hall effect sensor indicating the presence of the magnet, andwherein, the microprocessor is further configured to, in response to the microprocessor communicating with the cart bidirectional power converter assembly, set the bidirectional power converter to operate in the receive mode.
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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.
56 Citations
11 Claims
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1. A battery unit comprising:
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a battery configured to selectively store direct current (DC) power and selectively provide DC power; a coil; a bidirectional power converter connected to the coil, the bidirectional power converter including a DC input terminal connected to the battery, and a DC output terminal connected to the battery wherein the bidirectional power converter is configured to selectively operate in a transmit mode operable to provide power from the battery to the coil, and a receive mode operable to receive power from the coil and provide power to the battery for storage via the DC output terminal; a hall effect sensor configured to sense proximity of a magnet and provide a presence signal indicative of the proximity of the magnet; and a microprocessor connected to the bidirectional power converter and the hall effect sensor, wherein the microprocessor is configured to communicate with a cart bidirectional power converter assembly, wherein the microprocessor is further configured to, in response to the microprocessor communicating with the cart bidirectional power converter assembly, set the bidirectional power converter to operate in the transmit mode, and provide a transmission enable signal to the bidirectional power converter in response to receiving the presence signal from the hall effect sensor indicating the presence of the magnet, and wherein, the microprocessor is further configured to, in response to the microprocessor communicating with the cart bidirectional power converter assembly, set the bidirectional power converter to operate in the receive mode. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11)
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Specification