Power flow controller synchronization

• US 10,727,697 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2017
• Issued: 07/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WiTricity Corporation
• Original Assignee: WiTricity Corporation
• Inventors: Pavlovsky, Martin, Weidner, Felix, Keeling, Nicholas Athol
• Primary Examiner(s): Fureman, Jared
• Assistant Examiner(s): Warmflash, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US15/453,977
• Publication Number:
  US 20180076667A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,237 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• 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: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• 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: H02J 7/00712 the cycle being controlled or terminated in response to electric parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0058 by employing soft switching techniques, i.e. commutation of transistors when applied voltage is zero or when current flow is zero using an auxiliary actively switched resonant commutation circuit connected to an intermediate DC voltage or between two push-pull branches of an inverter bridge H02M7/4811; in resonant inverters H02M7/4815; in inverters operating from a resonant DC source H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/007 Plural converter units in cascade push-pull DC/DC converters with pre-regulator H02M3/3374; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC stage including a high frequency transformer H02M7/4807; DC-AC converters following a DC-DC conversion stage generating periodically varying voltages H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/158 including plural semiconductor devices as final control devices for a single load
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/335 using semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/217 using semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes
• 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 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

Techniques for wireless power transfer are disclosed. An example of an apparatus for receiving power in a wireless power transfer system includes a power receiving element, a tuning and current doubler circuit operably coupled to the power receiving element, a power flow controller circuit operably coupled to the tuning and current doubler circuit, and a controller operable coupled to the power receiving element and the power flow controller circuit and configured to detect a signal in the power receiving element and to synchronize the power flow controller circuit based on the signal.

Claims

1. An apparatus for receiving power in a wireless power transfer system, comprising:

a power receiving element;

a tuning and current doubler circuit operably coupled to the power receiving element wherein the tuning and current doubler circuit includes at least one capacitor, at least two diodes and at least two inductors;

a power flow controller circuit including a first transistor device and a second transistor device each operably coupled to the tuning and current doubler circuit; and

a controller operably coupled to the power receiving element and the power flow controller circuit and configured to detect a signal in the power receiving element and to synchronize the power flow controller circuit based on the signal.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to synchronize the power flow controller circuit based on a negative zero crossover point in the signal.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to synchronize the power flow controller circuit based on a positive zero crossover point in the signal.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a power output operably coupled to the power flow controller circuit.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the power output includes a battery.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the signal in the power receiving element is a voltage signal in the power receiving element.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein a frequency of the voltage signal is in a range of 80 to 90 kHz.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the controller is configured to determine a duty cycle of the power flow controller circuit.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the duty cycle is based on inductor current value in the tuning and current doubler circuit.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the signal is a current signal in the power receiving element.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the power receiving element receives power via an inductive coupling with a transmitter.

12. A method of controlling a receiver in a wireless power transfer system, comprising:

detecting a signal in a power receiving element, wherein the signal is at an operating frequency;

determining a synchronization point in the signal;

activating a first transistor device and a second transistor device in a power flow controller based on the synchronization point and the operating frequency; and

wherein a tuning and current doubler circuit is operably coupled to the power receiving element and includes at least one capacitor, at least two diodes and at least two inductors.

13. The method of claim 12 wherein determining the synchronization point includes determining a negative zero voltage crossing point in the signal.

14. The method of claim 12 wherein determining the synchronization point includes determining a positive zero voltage crossing point in the signal.

15. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

determining a power receiving element inductance value;

determining a power flow controller duty cycle based on the power receiving element inductance value; and

activating the first transistor device and the second transistor device in the power flow controller based at least in part on the power flow controller duty cycle.

16. The method of claim 12 wherein activating the first transistor device and the second transistor device in the power flow controller includes controlling a drain to source voltage in the first transistor device and the second transistor device based on the synchronization point and the operating frequency.

17. The method of claim 12 wherein the signal is a voltage signal in the power receiving element.

18. The method of claim 12 further comprising:

determining an electrical current output to a battery, wherein the battery is operably coupled to the power flow controller via an output filter;

determining a power flow controller duty cycle based on the electrical current output; and

activating the first transistor device and the second transistor device in the power flow controller based at least in part on the power flow controller duty cycle.

19. The method of claim 18 wherein the power flow controller duty cycle is between 0% and 50%.

20. A non-transitory processor-readable storage medium comprising instructions for controlling a receiver in a wireless power transfer, comprising:

code for detecting a signal in a power receiving element, wherein the signal is at an operating frequency;

code for determining a synchronization point in the signal;

code for activating a first transistor device and a second transistor device in a power flow controller based on the synchronization point and the operating frequency, and

wherein a tuning and current doubler circuit is operably coupled to the power receiving element and includes at least one capacitor, at least two diodes and at least two inductors.

21. An apparatus for receiving power in a wireless power transfer, comprising:

a power receiving means for receiving an electromagnetic field;

a tuning and current doubler means for increasing output current operably coupled to the power receiving means, wherein the tuning and current doubler means includes at least one capacitor, at least two diodes and at least two inductors;

a power flow controller means for controlling current flows in the apparatus, the power flow controller means including a first transistor device and a second transistor device each operably coupled to the tuning and current doubler means; and

a controller means operably coupled to the power receiving means and the power flow controller means and configured for detecting a signal in the power receiving means and for synchronizing the power flow controller means based on the signal.

22. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the controller means is configured to synchronize the power flow controller means based on a negative zero crossover point in the signal.

23. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the controller means is configured to synchronize the power flow controller means based on a positive zero crossover point in the signal.

24. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the controller means is configured to determine a duty cycle of the power flow controller means.

25. The apparatus of claim 24 wherein the controller means is configured to determine the duty cycle based on an inductance value of the power receiving means.

26. The apparatus of claim 21 further comprising a power output means operably coupled to the power flow controller means.

27. The apparatus of claim 21 wherein the signal is a current signal.