System and method for protecting a wireless power transfer system

• US 10,700,550 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2017
• Issued: 06/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Jha, Kapil, Vijayan, Pradeep, Singh, Yash Veer
• Primary Examiner(s): Fin, Michael R.
• Application Number:
  US15/417,246
• Publication Number:
  US 20170222479A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 Days
• Field of Search: 307104
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/023 by short-circuiting
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/20 responsive to excess voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 9/041 using a short-circuiting device
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• 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

A wireless power transfer system is disclosed. The wireless power transfer system includes a first converting unit configured to convert a first DC voltage of an input power to a first AC voltage. Further, the wireless power transfer system includes a contactless power transfer unit configured to receive the input power having the first AC voltage from the first converting unit and transmit the input power. Also, the wireless power transfer system includes a second converting unit configured to receive the input power from the contactless power transfer unit and convert the first AC voltage of the input power to a second DC voltage. Furthermore, the wireless power transfer system includes a switching unit configured to decouple the second converting unit from the contactless power transfer unit if the second DC voltage across the electric load is greater than a first threshold value.

Claims

1. A wireless power transfer system comprising:

a contactless power transfer unit configured to receive an input power having a first AC voltage from a first converting unit and transmit the input power, via a switching unit, to a second converting unit;

the second converting unit electrically coupled to the contactless power transfer unit and configured to receive the input power from the contactless power transfer unit and convert the first AC voltage of the input power to a second DC voltage, wherein the input power having the second DC voltage is transmitted to an electric load;

the switching unit electrically coupled between the contactless power transfer unit and the second converting unit, the switching unit configured to decouple the second converting unit from the contactless power transfer unit based on a first control signal from a controller;

a sensor electrically coupled to the electric load and configured to determine the second DC voltage across the electric load;

the controller electrically coupled to the sensor and the switching unit, the controller configured to;

send the first control signal to activate the switching unit when the determined second DC voltage is greater than a first threshold value, wherein the switching unit is activated to decouple the second converting unit from the contactless power transfer unit, and

send a second control signal to deactivate the switching unit when the determined second DC voltage is less than a second threshold value, wherein the switching unit is deactivated to couple the second converting unit to the contactless power transfer unit; and

a first transceiver electrically coupled to the sensor and configured to;

receive a voltage signal representative of the second DC voltage across the electric load from the sensor,

receive one of the first control signal and the second control signal from the controller, and

transmit the voltage signal and the one of the first control signal and the second control signal to a second transceiver.

2. The wireless power transfer system of claim 1, further comprising the second transceiver communicatively coupled to the first transceiver and configured to receive the voltage signal and one of the first control signal and the second control signal from the first transceiver.

3. The wireless power transfer system of claim 2, further comprising a control unit electrically coupled to the second transceiver and the first converting unit and configured to:

receive the voltage signal and one of the first control signal and the second control signal from the second transceiver; and

deactivate the first converting unit if the first control signal is received from the second transceiver.

4. The wireless power transfer system of claim 3, wherein the control unit is configured to adjust a switching frequency of the first converting unit if the second control signal is received from the second transceiver, wherein the switching frequency is adjusted based on the voltage signal representative of the second DC voltage across the electric load.

5. The wireless power transfer system of claim 4, wherein the switching frequency is adjusted to regulate the second DC voltage across the electric load.

6. The wireless power transfer system of claim 3, wherein the control unit is configured to transmit a reset signal to the controller via the second transceiver and the first transceiver, wherein the reset signal is transmitted after a predetermined time period from deactivating the first converting unit.

7. The wireless power transfer system of claim 6, wherein the controller is configured to:

receive the reset signal from the control unit via the second transceiver and the first transceiver; and

send the second control signal to the switching unit to deactivate the switch based on the reset signal, wherein the switching unit is deactivated to couple the second converting unit to the contactless power transfer unit; and

transmit the second control signal to the control unit via the second transceiver and the first transceiver in response to receiving the reset signal.

8. The wireless power transfer system of claim 7, wherein the control unit is configured to:

in response to transmitting the reset signal, receive the second control signal from the controller via the first transceiver and the second transceiver;

receive the voltage signal representative of the second DC voltage from the voltage sensor via the first transceiver and the second transceiver; and

activate the first converting unit if the second control signal is received and the second DC voltage is less than or equal to the first threshold value.

9. A switching unit for protecting a wireless power transfer system, the switching unit comprising:

a switch electrically coupled between a contactless power transfer unit and a second converting unit, the second converting unit coupled to an electric load;

a controller electrically coupled to the switch and configured to;

send a first control signal to activate the switch if an output DC voltage determined across the electric load is greater than a first threshold value, wherein the switch is activated to decouple the second converting unit from the contactless power transfer unit,

send a second control signal to deactivate the switch if the determined output DC voltage is less than a second threshold value, wherein the switch is deactivated to couple the second converting unit to the contactless power transfer unit, and

send one of the first control signal and the second control signal to a first transceiver which is configured to transmit a voltage signal representative of the output DC voltage across the electric load and one of the first control signal and the second control signal to a control unit via a second transceiver; and

a sensor electrically coupled to the controller and configured to determine the output DC voltage across the electric load and send the voltage signal to the controller and the first transceiver.

10. The switching unit of claim 9, wherein the controller is configured to:

receive a reset signal from the control unit if the first control signal is transmitted to the control unit; and

send the second control signal to the switch to deactivate the switch if the reset signal is received, wherein the switch is deactivated to couple the second converting unit to the contactless power transfer unit.

11. The switching unit of claim 10, wherein the controller is configured to send the second control signal to the control unit to activate the first converting unit.

12. A method for wireless power transfer, comprising:

receiving, by a contactless power transfer unit, an input power having a first AC voltage from a first converting unit and transmitting the input power, via a switching unit, to a second converting unit;

converting, by the second converting unit, the first AC voltage of the input power to a second DC voltage;

transmitting the input power having the second DC voltage from the second converting unit to an electric load;

determining, by a sensor, the second DC voltage across the electric load;

controlling, by a controller, a switching unit configured to decouple or couple the second converting unit from the contactless power transfer unit based one of a first control signal and a second control signal, wherein said controlling includes;

sending the first control signal to the switching unit to activate the switching unit when the determined second DC voltage is greater than a first threshold value, wherein the switching unit is activated to decouple the second converting unit from the contactless power transfer unit, and

sending the second control signal to the switching unit to deactivate the switching unit when the determined second DC voltage is less than a second threshold value, wherein the switching unit is deactivated to couple the second converting unit to the contactless power transfer unit; and

transmitting, by a first transceiver, a voltage signal representative of the second DC voltage across the electric load from the sensor and the one of the first control signal and the second control signal to a second transceiver.