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Vehicular inductive power transfer systems and methods

  • US 10,688,874 B2
  • Filed: 06/14/2016
  • Issued: 06/23/2020
  • Est. Priority Date: 06/14/2016
  • Status: Active Grant
First Claim
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1. A vehicle, comprising:

  • a power receiving unit that includes at least one power receiving coil displaceably coupled to the vehicle;

    an adjustable height chassisan actuation sub-system operably coupled to the power receiving unit, the actuation sub-system to adjust a location of the inductive power receiving unit with respect to a power transmission unit embedded in a surface of a roadway as the vehicle travels along the roadway in a three dimensional (3D) space;

    at least one occupancy sensor to provide a signal that includes data indicative of a human presence inside the vehicle;

    at least one electromagnetic field sensor to provide at least one signal that includes data indicative of an electromagnetic parameter that includes at least one of;

    an electric field within at least a portion of the vehicle or a magnetic field within at least a portion of the vehicle;

    at least one position sensor to provide at least one signal that includes data indicative of a position of the power receiving unit with respect to the power transmission unit;

    control circuitry communicably coupled to the actuation sub-system;

    a storage device containing machine-readable instructions communicably coupled to the control circuitry, the machine-readable instructions, when executed by the control circuitry, transform at least a portion of the control circuitry to a dedicated power transfer control circuit, the power transfer control circuit to;

    detect a human presence in the vehicle;

    responsive to the detection of a human presence in the vehicle, cause the adjustable height chassis to adjust at least a vertical dimension and the actuation sub-system to adjust the power receiving unit in a location in 3D space as the vehicle travels along the roadway such that;

    power transfer between the power transmission unit and the power receiving unit is maximized and the power transfer control circuit maintains the measured electromagnetic parameter at or below a defined human exposure threshold value.

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