INDUCTIVE WIRELESS POWER TRANSFER SYSTEM HAVING A COUPLER ASSEMBLY

• US 20160031331A1
• Filed: 08/04/2014
• Published: 02/04/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: ALTUNYURT, Nevin, KAUTZ, Richard William, CHANDRA, Sandeep Kamalakar Reddy
• Granted Patent: US 9,522,604 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• 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 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/66 Data transfer between charging stations and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• 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 vehicle includes an inductive charge coupling arrangement that can be electrically connected with a traction battery. The arrangement includes a charge coil and a plurality of permeable panels surrounding the charge coil. The vehicle further includes at least one controller that, in response to an inductive charge request, causes the panels to move to positions selected to minimize electromagnetic field leakage between the charge coil and a charge station.

Claims

1. A charging system for a vehicle comprising:

a charge coil;

a coupling assembly associated with the charge coil and including at least one permeable panel; and

at least one controller configured to, in response to an inductive charge request, command the coupling assembly to adjust the at least one permeable panel to one of a plurality of predefined positions selected to minimize electromagnetic field leakage during charge.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one controller is further configured to, in response to a stop charge request, command the charge coupling assembly to cover the coil.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the coupling assembly further includes a housing attached with the vehicle and having at least two panels configured to cover the charge coil.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the at least one permeable panel is configured to expand in width.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the coupling assembly further includes a hinge attached with the at least one permeable panel, and a stepper motor configured to articulate the hinge.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to select the one of the plurality of predefined positions based on location data of the charge coil in relation to a charging station.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the permeable panel is a ferrite panel.

8. A battery charging method comprising:

in response to receiving charge-state data indicative of a magnetic field between primary and secondary inductive coupling assemblies, outputting a desired position for one of the assemblies based on the data, wherein the desired position is associated with a minimum electromagnetic field leakage state between the assemblies; and

commanding a coupler to move a permeable panel of the one of the assemblies to the desired position.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the data includes a magnetic coupling coefficient, current magnitude, voltage magnitude, or phase angle.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the desired position is at least partially defined by a width for the permeable panel.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the desired position is at least partially defined by an angle for the permeable panel.

12. A vehicle including a traction battery comprising:

an inductive charge coupling arrangement configured to be electrically connected with the traction battery, and including a charge coil and a plurality of permeable panels surrounding the charge coil; and

at least one controller configured to, in response to an inductive charge request, cause the panels to move to positions selected to minimize electromagnetic field leakage between the charge coil and a charge station.

13. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the at least one controller is further configured to, in response to a stop charge request, cause the panels to cover the charge coil.

14. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein at least one of the permeable panels is configured to expand in width.

15. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the permeable panels are hinged about the charge coil.

16. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the permeable panels are ferrite panels.

17. The vehicle of claim 12, wherein the arrangement further includes a stepper motor configured to move the panels.