METHODS AND APPARATUS UTILIZING TIME DIVISION ACCESS OF MULTIPLE RADAR MODULES IN LIVING OBJECT DETECTION FOR WIRELESS POWER TRANSFER APPLICATIONS

• US 20160341822A1
• Filed: 11/06/2015
• Published: 11/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/22/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WiTricity Corporation
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Lee, Joshua Reuben, Hutterer, Michael, Wang, Qi
• Granted Patent: US 10,444,337 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/10 DC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/147 electro magnetic [EMI]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/66 Arrangements of batteries
• 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 53/124 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 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/04 Systems determining presence of a target based on relative movement of target G01S13/56
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/87 Combinations of radar systems, e.g. primary radar and secondary radar
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/878 Combination of several spaced transmitters or receivers of known location for determining the position of a transponder or a reflector G01S13/874 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/0235 Avoidance by time multiplex
• 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 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• 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: Y02T 90/167 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/12 : Remote or cooperative charging
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

Methods and apparatus utilizing time division access of multiple radar transceivers in living object detection for wireless power transfer applications are provided. In one aspect, an apparatus for detecting an object in a detection area of a wireless power transfer system is provided. The apparatus comprises a plurality of radar transceivers. The apparatus comprises a processor configured to group the plurality of radar transceivers into pairs of radar transceivers. The processor is configured to instruct each of the pairs of radar transceivers to transmit radar signals during a corresponding time slot of a plurality of time slots. The processor is configured to instruct each of the pairs of radar transceivers to receive the radar signals during the corresponding time slot of the plurality of time slots. The processor is configured to detect the object in the detection area based on at least some of the radar signals received by each of the pairs of radar transceivers.

Claims

1. An apparatus for detecting an object in a detection area of a wireless power transfer system, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of radar transceivers; and

a processor configured to;

group the plurality of radar transceivers into pairs of radar transceivers,

instruct each of the pairs of radar transceivers to transmit radar signals during a corresponding time slot of a plurality of time slots,

instruct each of the pairs of radar transceivers to receive the radar signals during the corresponding time slot of the plurality of time slots, and

detect the object in the detection area based on at least some of the radar signals received by each of the pairs of radar transceivers.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the pairs of radar transceivers comprises a transmitter.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the pairs of radar transceivers comprises a receiver.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, for each of the pairs of radar transceivers, a first orientation of a first transmitter and a first receiver of a first radar transceiver is based on a second orientation of a second transmitter and a second receiver of a second radar transceiver.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, for each of the pairs of radar transceivers, a first transmitter of a first radar transceiver is separated from a receiver of a second radar transceiver by a greater distance than is a second transmitter of the second radar transceiver.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to disable a transmitting capability of each of the pairs of radar transceivers outside of the corresponding time slot.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to disable a receiving capability of each of the pairs of radar transceivers outside of the corresponding time slot.

8. A method for detecting an object in a detection area of a wireless power transfer system, the method comprising:

grouping a plurality of radar transceivers into pairs of radar transceivers;

for each of the pairs of radar transceivers;

transmitting radar signals during a corresponding time slot, and

receiving the radar signals during the corresponding time slot; and

detecting the object in the detection area based on at least some of the radar signals received by each of the pairs of radar transceivers.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein, for each of the pairs of radar transceivers, the radar signals are transmitted by a transmitter during the corresponding time slot.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein, for each of the pairs of radar transceivers, the radar signals are received by a receiver during the corresponding time slot.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein, for each of the pairs of radar transceivers, a first orientation of a first transmitter and a first receiver of a first radar transceiver is based on a second orientation of a second transmitter and a second receiver of a second radar transceiver.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein, for each of the pairs of radar transceivers, a first transmitter of a first radar transceiver is separated from a receiver of a second radar transceiver by a greater distance than is a second transmitter of the second radar transceiver.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising disabling a transmitting capability of each of the pairs of radar transceivers outside of the corresponding time slot.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising disabling a receiving capability of each of the pairs of radar transceivers outside of the corresponding time slot.

15. A non-transitory, computer-readable medium comprising code that, when executed, causes an apparatus for detecting an object in a detection area of a wireless power transfer system to:

group a plurality of radar transceivers into pairs of radar transceivers;

for each of the pairs of radar transceivers;

transmit radar signals during a corresponding time slot, and

receive the radar signals during the corresponding time slot; and

detect the object in the detection area based on at least some of the radar signals received by each of the pairs of radar transceivers.

16. The medium of claim 15, wherein, for each of the pairs of radar transceivers, the radar signals are transmitted by a transmitter during the corresponding time slot.

17. The medium of claim 15, wherein, for each of the pairs of radar transceivers, the radar signals are received by a receiver during the corresponding time slot.

18. The medium of claim 15, wherein, for each of the pairs of radar transceivers, a first orientation of a first transmitter and a first receiver of a first radar transceiver is based on a second orientation of a second transmitter and a second receiver of a second radar transceiver.

19. The medium of claim 15, wherein, for each of the pairs of radar transceivers, a first transmitter of a first radar transceiver is separated from a receiver of a second radar transceiver by a greater distance than is a second transmitter of the second radar transceiver.

20. The medium of claim 15, wherein the code, when executed, further causes the apparatus to disable a transmitting capability of each of the pairs of radar transceivers outside of the corresponding time slot.

21. The medium of claim 15, wherein the code, when executed, further causes the apparatus to disable a receiving capability of each of the pairs of radar transceivers outside of the corresponding time slot.

22. An apparatus for detecting an object in a detection area of a wireless power transfer system, the apparatus comprising:

a plurality of means for transmitting and receiving radar signals;

means for grouping the plurality of means for transmitting and receiving radar signals into pairs,

means for instructing each of the pairs to transmit radar signals during a corresponding time slot of a plurality of time slots;

means for instructing each of the pairs to receive the radar signals during the corresponding time slot of the plurality of time slots; and

means for detecting the object in the detection area based on at least some of the radar signals received by each of the pairs.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the plurality of means for transmitting and receiving radar signals comprises a transmitter.

24. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the plurality of means for transmitting and receiving radar signals comprises a receiver.

25. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein, for each of the pairs, a first orientation of a first transmitter and a first receiver of a first means for transmitting and receiving radar signals is based on a second orientation of a second transmitter and a second receiver of a second means for transmitting and receiving radar signals.

26. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein, for each of the pairs, a first transmitter of a first means for transmitting and receiving radar signals is separated from a receiver of a second means for transmitting and receiving radar signals by a greater distance than is a second transmitter of the second means for transmitting and receiving radar signals.

27. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising means for disabling a transmitting capability of each of the pairs outside of the corresponding time slot.

28. The apparatus of claim 22, further comprising means for disabling a receiving capability of each of the pairs outside of the corresponding time slot.