WIRELESS ENERGY TRANSFER ANTENNAS AND ENERGY CHARGING SYSTEMS

• US 20110109262A1
• Filed: 11/06/2009
• Published: 05/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Chuo Kenkyusho (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America Incorporated (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: SCHMALENBERG, Paul Donald, IIZUKA, Hideo, LEE, Jae Seung, ROBERT, Brian Joseph
• Granted Patent: US 8,466,660 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/108
• 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: 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: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• 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 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0045 concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• 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

Abstract

A resonant wireless energy transfer system comprises first and second antennas made up of dual parallel wire helixes wherein the wires are terminated by short wires. Voltage controlled variable capacitors are connected into the antennas to permit progressive variation between folded dipole and normal dipole operating modes such that optimum energy transfer can be achieved between the antennas over a wide range of antenna separation distances. A vehicle battery charging system using the above-described antennas is provided including an installation which allows purchase of battery charging power by members of the general public. In-vehicle energy transfer for sensors, computers, cell phones and the like is also described.

Claims

1. A wireless energy coupling system comprising:

a transmitting antenna including a first helix of dual parallel wires; and

a receiving antenna including a second helix of dual parallel wires similar to said first helix.

2. A wireless energy coupling system as defined in claim 1 further including first and second capacitor means connected to the first and second helixes, respectively, for selectively varying the distance of the maximum energy transfer efficiency between said transmitting and receiving antennas to produce a resonant coupling therebetween.

3. A wireless system as defined in claim 2 further including means for communicating capacitor setting values between the antennas such that the distance of the maximum energy transfer efficiency between the antennas can be varied in concert.

4. A wireless energy coupling system as defined in claim 2 wherein the capacitor means are selectively varied to produce resonant coupling of the transmitting and receiving antenna at different distances from one another.

5. A wireless energy coupling system as defined in claim 4 wherein the capacitor means are connected between the wires of the helixes so as to selectively progressively vary the antennas between normal dipole and folded dipole modes.

6. A wireless energy coupling system as defined in claim 5 wherein each antenna has a feed point defined by a pair of contacts, the first capacitor means comprises a first variable capacitor connected across the parallel wires at one contact, a second variable capacitor connected across the parallel wires at another contact, and a third variable capacitor connected between the first and second variable capacitors.

7. A wireless energy coupling system as defined in claim 6 wherein the second capacitor means comprises a first variable capacitor connected across parallel wires of the receiving antenna at one contact, a second variable capacitor connected across the parallel wires of the receiving antenna at the other contact, and a third variable capacitor connected between the first and second variable capacitors of the receiving antenna.

8. A wireless energy system for charging a battery in a vehicle comprising:

a power source;

a transmitting antenna connected to receive electrical energy from said power source;

a vehicle battery; and

a receiving antenna spaced from said transmitting antenna and connected to supply electrical energy to said battery;

wherein the transmitting and receiving antennas are wirelessly resonantly coupled.

9. A wireless energy coupling system as defined in claim 8 wherein each of the transmitting and receiving antennas comprises a helix of dual parallel interconnected wires.

10. A wireless energy coupling system as defined in claim 9 further comprising circuit means in each helix for progressively selectively changing the configurations of the antennas in concert to maintain optimum wireless energy transfer between said antennas essentially independently of the distance between said antennas.

11. A system as defined in claim 10 wherein the circuit means includes variable capacitors.

12. A system as defined in claim 8 wherein each of the transmitting and receiving antennas comprises a helix of dual parallel wires interconnected at their ends and having a central feed point defined by a pair of spaced contacts, a first voltage controlled variable capacitor connected across the wires at one feed point contact, a second voltage controlled variable capacitor connected across the wires at the other feed point contact and a third voltage controlled variable capacitor connected between the first and second capacitors and across the feed point contacts such that, by variation of the voltage controlled variable capacitor impedances, each of the antennas may be progressively changed between normal dipole and folded dipole modes.

13. The system as defined in claim 8 further including means for selectively activating the power source.

14. The system as defined in claim 13 further including means for deactivating the power source in the event a predetermined level of wireless energy transfer is not achieved after activation.

15. The system as defined in claim 13 wherein said means for selectively activating includes the device for effecting a financial transaction.

16. A wireless energy charging station comprising:

a power source;

an antenna comprising a helix of dual, parallel wires; and

variable capacitors connected between the wires for changing the effective length of the antenna.

17. A station as defined in claim 16 further including means for activating the power source.

18. A wireless energy charging installation for installation on a vehicle having a rechargeable battery comprising:

a receiving antenna comprising a helix of dual, interconnected parallel wires; and

means for selectively tuning said antenna for resonant coupling for another, off-vehicle antenna.

19. A wireless electrical power transfer system on-board an automotive vehicle comprising:

a power utilization device equipped to wirelessly receive power for operation; and

a transmitter antenna mounted in the vehicle for wirelessly transferring electrical power to said device.

20. A system as defined in claim 19 wherein the device is selected from the group consisting of cell phones, tire pressure sensors, O₂ sensors, battery monitors and portable computers.