MULTI POWER SOURCED ELECTRIC VEHICLE

• US 20100109604A1
• Filed: 05/09/2008
• Published: 05/06/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Auckland UniServices Limited (Auckland University)
• Original Assignee: Auckland UniServices Limited (Auckland University)
• Inventors: Boys, John Talbot, Covic, Grant Anthony
• Granted Patent: US 8,749,334 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/147 electro magnetic [EMI]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/11 DC charging controlled by the charging station, e.g. mode 4
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/124 Detection or removal of foreign bodies
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/126 Methods for pairing a vehicle and a charging station, e.g. establishing a one-to-one relation between a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power receiver
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/14 Conductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/51 Photovoltaic means
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/62 in response to charging parameters, e.g. current, voltage or electrical charge
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 55/00 Arrangements for supplying energy stored within a vehicle to a power network, i.e. vehicle-to-grid [V2G] arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 8/006 Converting flow of air into electric energy, e.g. by using wind turbines
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/36 Electric or magnetic shields or screens movable for varying inductance H01F21/10
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 27/363 made of electrically conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 5/00 Coils superconducting coils H01F6/06; fixed inductances of the signal type H01F17/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• 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 50/90 : involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 : characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 : Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 : Hybrid vehicles
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/126 : the energy generation units being or involving electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV], i.e. power aggregation of EV or HEV, vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G]

Abstract

An inductive power transfer (IPT) pad and system for the charging of electric and hybid electric vehicles. The batter of such a vehicle can be selectively coupled to a high power electrical supply for fast charging or a lower power electrical supply for charging using IPT. The batteries of the vehicles are used in a system to control the load demand in an electricity network through variations of the frequency of power supplied.

Claims

1-71. -71. (canceled)

72. An inductive power transfer pad comprising:

one or more ferromagnetic slabs;

a coil having at least one turn of a conductor, the coil being arranged in a plane substantially parallel to that of said ferromagnetic slabs; and

a shield member arranged around both said coil and said ferromagnetic slab(s) for channeling electromagnetic flux when in use.

73. The inductive power transfer pad as claimed in claim 72, wherein each ferromagnetic slab is arranged such that its length extends radially from a common point but spaced apart therefrom.

74. The inductive power transfer pad as claimed in claim 73, wherein the coil is positioned to wind around the common point such that it passes each slab at approximately the center of the length of each slab.

75. The inductive power transfer pad as claimed in claim 72, wherein:

a subset of the ferromagnetic slabs extend radially from a common point but are spaced apart therefrom;

a further subset of the ferromagnetic slabs extend radially from a different common point but are spaced apart therefrom;

a still further subset of the ferromagnetic slabs are aligned perpendicularly to the direction of an imaginary straight line connecting the said common points, whereby the still further subset of ferromagnetic slabs are positioned equidistantly from the imaginary line but spaced equally along its length and equally on each side of the imaginary line.

76. The inductive power transfer pad as claimed in claim 72, wherein the pad comprises a substantially rigid backplate.

77. The inductive power transfer pad as claimed in claim 76, wherein the plane of the backplate is substantially parallel to the planes of each of the ferromagnetic slabs and the coil, the plane of each of the ferromagnetic slabs being located between the plane of the backplate and the plane of the coil.

78. The inductive power transfer pad as claimed in claim 76, wherein each ferromagnetic slab is spaced apart from the backplate by a thermally conductive and mechanically insulating material.

79. The inductive power transfer pad as claimed in claim 76, wherein the backplate is formed from a material which substantially inhibits the passage of magnetic flux therethrough.

80. The inductive power transfer pad as claimed in claim 72, wherein the shield member forms side walls around the pad.

81. The inductive power transfer pad as claimed in claim 80, wherein the shield member extends from the backplate and is integrally formed therewith.

82. The inductive power transfer pad as claimed in claim 72, wherein the one or more ferromagnetic slabs are ferrite.

83. An inductive power transfer system comprising two inductive power transfer pads as claimed in claim 72, wherein the two inductive power transfer pads are used in combination, one of the pads being used as a pickup pad and the other pad as a charging pad.

84. An apparatus for charging a battery of an electric or a hybrid electric vehicle, the apparatus comprising:

first means for selectively coupling the battery to a high power electrical supply; and

second means for selectively coupling the battery to a lower power electrical supply, wherein the second means for coupling comprises a pickup pad electrically coupled to the battery, wherein power is transferred to the pickup pad from a charging pad by inductive power transfer.

85. A system for distributing energy between at least one battery of an electric or hybrid electric vehicle and an electricity network or subnetwork having at least one generator, the system comprising:

a connector for coupling the network with the at least one battery; and

a controller for monitoring a frequency of power supplied by the network, the controller controlling power transfer between the at least one generator and the at least one battery dependent on the frequency.

86. The system for distributing energy as claimed in claim 85, wherein the network and the at least one battery are coupled by inductive power transfer.

87. The system for distributing energy as claimed in claim 85, wherein the system is adapted to charge the at least one battery from the network.

88. The system for distributing energy as claimed in claim 85, wherein the system is adapter to distribute power to the network from the at least one battery.

89. The system for distributing energy as claimed in claim 85, wherein the controller is configured to vary the power transfer so as to optimize the load factor.

90. A controller for controlling the supply of power between an electricity network or subnetwork having at least one generator and at least one battery of at least one electric or hybrid electric vehicle, the controller being adapted to monitor a frequency of power supplied by the network and control power transfer between the network and the at least one battery dependent on the frequency.

91. The controller as claimed in claim 90, wherein power is transferred between the network and the at least one battery by inductive power transfer.

92. A method for determining a load demand on an electricity network, the method comprising:

changing a control parameter for controlling supply of power to and/or from the network;

detecting a change in load demand as a result of changing the control parameter; and

using the detected change in load demand to determine the load demand of the network.