Inductive harness coupling and communication for distributed architectures

• US 10,819,165 B2
• Filed: 04/15/2019
• Issued: 10/27/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Cummins Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Cummins Incorporated
• Inventors: Milvert, Thomas J., Gonzalez, Jr., Miguel A., Gahimer, Joseph L., Delforge, Adrian, De, Anirban
• Primary Examiner(s): Gannon, Levi
• Application Number:
  US16/384,151
• Publication Number:
  US 20190245390A1
• Time in Patent Office: 561 Days
• Field of Search: 307 91, 307 101, 307104
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 5/005 without mechanical contact between the collector and the power supply line
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/03 for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems or for circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00009 using pulsed signals
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/46 for ICE-powered road vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/40 using two or more transmitting or receiving devices H02J50/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields
• 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: H04B 2203/5416 by adding signals to the wave form of the power source
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 2203/5483 using coupling circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 3/56 Circuits for coupling, blocking, or by-passing of signals

Abstract

A system includes an AC power module structured to provide alternating current (“AC”) electrical power; a power distribution wiring harness structured to receive the AC electrical power from the AC power module; a plurality of inductive coupling modules coupled to the power distribution wiring harness, and configured to transmit the AC electrical power to at least one load; and, a signal injection module structured to inject a communication signal on the power distribution wiring harness using signal modulation during a transient moment of operation corresponding to a low electrical noise operating range of electromagnetic interference generated by components of a vehicle.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

an AC power module structured to provide alternating current (“

AC”

) electrical power;

a power distribution wiring harness structured to receive the AC electrical power from the AC power module;

a plurality of inductive coupling modules coupled to the power distribution wiring harness, and configured to transmit the AC electrical power to at least one load; and

a signal injection module structured to

determine a transient moment of operation corresponding to a low electrical noise operating range of electromagnetic interference generated by components of a vehicle without requiring deactivation of components of the vehicle, and

inject a communication signal on the power distribution wiring harness using signal modulation during the transient moment.

2. The system of claim 1, further comprising a power storage device electrically coupled to the at least one load, the power storage device structured to inductively receive the AC electrical power from the power distribution wiring harness and to selectively provide electrical power to the at least one load.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a signal receiver module structured to filter the communication signal from the power received from an inductive coupling module in the plurality of inductive coupling modules, wherein the communication signal comprises one or more frequencies that are higher than a fundamental frequency of an AC voltage waveform of the AC electrical power.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal injection module is structured to inject a burst communication signal during the low electrical noise operating range, wherein the burst communication signal includes multiple messages for the at least one load.

5. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

an AC-to-DC converter electrically coupled to the at least one inductive coupling module, wherein the AC-to-DC converter is structured to receive the AC electrical power and convert the AC electrical power to an output DC power, wherein the AC-to-DC converter is structured to provide the output DC power to a desired load in the at least one of load.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one inductive coupling module of the plurality of inductive coupling modules is clip-connected to the power distribution wiring harness.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one inductive coupling module of the plurality of inductive coupling modules is configured for bidirectional communication to pass communications to the at least one load and receive communications from the at least one load.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the inductive coupling module is a split-ring resonator.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the power distribution wiring harness includes at least two wires, the at least two wires comprising a live conductor wire and a neutral conductor wire.

10. A system for a vehicle, comprising:

a first group of loads;

a second group of loads;

a first power distribution wiring harness coupled to the first group of loads;

a second power distribution wiring harness coupled to the second group of loads;

a first inductive coupling module coupled to the first power distribution wiring harness, wherein the first inductive coupling module transmits power to at least one load in the first group of loads;

a second inductive coupling module coupled to the second power distribution wiring harness, wherein the second inductive coupling module transmits power to at least one load in the second group of loads; and

a signal injection module structured to

determine a predefined electrical noise range of operation in the vehicle corresponding to a low electrical noise operating range of electromagnetic interference generated by components of the vehicle without requiring deactivation of components of the vehicle, and

inject a communication signal for a desired load of at least one of the first group of loads or the second group of loads on the first power distribution wiring harness for the first group of loads or the second power distribution wiring harness for the second group of loads using signal modulation during the predefined electrical noise range of operation.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein individual loads in the first group of loads are different than individual loads in the second group of loads.

12. The system of claim 10, wherein the signal injection module is structured to inject a burst communication signal during the low electrical noise operating range, wherein the burst communication signal includes multiple messages for at least one of the first group of loads or the second group of loads.

13. The system of claim 10, further comprising a power storage device coupled to the first group of loads and structured to inductively receive AC electrical power from the first power distribution wiring harness and to selectively provide electrical power to at least one load in the first group of loads.

14. The system of claim 10, further comprising:

a signal receiver module structured to filter the communication signal from power received from at least one of the first inductive coupling module or the second inductive coupling module.

15. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a power distribution wiring harness in a vehicle, electrical power;

inductively receiving, by an inductive coupling module coupled to a load, the electrical power from the power distribution wiring harness;

transmitting, by the inductive coupling module, the received electrical power to the load;

determining, by a signal injection module, a predefined electrical noise range of operation in the vehicle corresponding to a low electrical noise operating range of electromagnetic interference generated by components of the vehicle without requiring deactivation of components of the vehicle; and

receiving, by the power distribution wiring harness, a communication signal during the predefined electrical noise range.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

storing energy received via the inductive coupling module with a power storage device; and

selectively providing electrical power from the power storage device to the load.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

filtering, by the inductive coupling module, the communication signal from the power received from the inductive coupling module.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

injecting a burst communication signal during the low electrical noise operating range,

wherein the burst communication signal includes multiple messages for the load.

19. The method of claim 15, wherein the inductive coupling module is a split-ring resonator.

20. The method of claim 15, wherein the power distribution wiring harness includes at least two wires, the at least two wires comprising a live conductor wire and a neutral conductor wire.