Adaptive wireless energy transfer system

• US 8,884,581 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2011
• Issued: 11/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WiTricity Corporation
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Widmer, Hanspeter, Cook, Nigel, Sieber, Lukas
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): OMAR, AHMED H
• Application Number:
  US13/110,874
• Publication Number:
  US 20110285349A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,273 Days
• Field of Search: 320/104, 320/109
• US Class Current: 320/108
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/147 electro magnetic [EMI]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/12 Inductive energy transfer
• 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: B60L 53/35 Means for automatic or assisted adjustment of the relative position of charging devices and vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/36 by positioning the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/60 responsive to the presence of foreign objects, e.g. detection of living beings
• 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: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• 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 90/167 : 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

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments are directed to wireless power transfer using magnetic resonance in a coupling mode region between a charging base (CB) and a remote system such as a battery electric vehicle (BEV). The wireless power transfer can occur from the CB to the remote system and from the remote system to the CB. Load adaptation and power control methods can be employed to adjust the amount of power transferred over the wireless power link, while maintaining transfer efficiency.

Claims

1. A charging base, comprising:

a power converter configurable between first and second modes to convert power from a power supply system in a transmit mode; and

a charging base antenna configured to be substantially resonant at an operating frequency and operably coupled to the power converter and configured to transfer wireless energy to a remote antenna,

the modes selectable based on a change in a coupling coefficient between the charging base antenna and the remote antenna.

2. The charging base of claim 1, wherein the power converter is reconfigurable between modes based on a measured coupling coefficient between the charging base antenna and the remote antenna.

3. The charging base of claim 2, wherein the measured coupling coefficient is determined from measurements received from a device coupled to the remote antenna.

4. The charging base of claim 2, wherein if the coupling coefficient becomes greater than a threshold, then the power converter is configured to operate in the first mode configured as a full-bridge mode.

5. The charging base of claim 4, wherein the power converter increases a rate of transfer of the wireless energy relative to the rate when operating in a half-bridge mode.

6. The charging base of claim 4, wherein the power converter approximately doubles a rate of transfer of the wireless energy relative to the rate when operating in the second mode configured as a half-bridge mode.

7. The charging base of claim 2, wherein if the coupling coefficient becomes less than a threshold, the power converter is configured to operate in the second mode configured as a half-bridge mode.

8. The charging base of claim 7, wherein the power converter decreases a rate of transfer of the wireless energy relative to the rate when operating in the first mode configured as a full-bridge mode.

9. The charging base of claim 1, wherein the power converter is reconfigured based on a distance between the charging base antenna and the remote antenna.

10. The charging base of claim 1, further comprising at least one mechanical device configured to adjust a position of the charging base antenna in at least one of an X, Y and Z direction.

11. The charging base of claim 10, further comprising sensors to detect a status where mechanical adjustment of a position of the charging base antenna is impeded by an obstacle.

12. The charging base of claim 1, wherein the power converter is configured to convert power from the power supply system at the operating frequency, and wherein the operating frequency is in a range of about 20 kHz to about 60 kHz.

13. The charging base of claim 1, wherein the power converter and the charging base antenna can be configured to operate in one of a transmit and receive mode.

14. The charging base of claim 11, wherein the power supply system provides a substantially constant voltage at an interface to the power converter.

15. The charging base of claim 14, wherein power at the interface between the power supply system and the power converter is one of an AC power, a DC power, and an unfiltered AC pulsed DC power.

16. The charging base of claim 1, wherein the power converter is configurable between the first and second modes to receive power from a power supply system at the operating frequency in a receive mode.

17. The charging base of claim 1, further comprising a controller configured to receive information indicative of a coupling coefficient from the power converter, and wherein the controller is configured to determine a coupling coefficient based on the received information.

18. The charging base of claim 1, wherein the power converter is configured to convert power from the power supply system at the operating frequency, and wherein the charging base antenna is configured to be substantially resonant within a first range of the operating frequency.

19. A remote subsystem, comprising:

a power converter configurable between first and second modes to convert power received at a remote energy storage system in a receive mode from a charging base, wherein the power converter is configured to receive the power from the remote energy system at an operating frequency; and

a remote antenna configured to be substantially resonant within a first range of the operating frequency and operably coupled to the power converter and configured to receive wireless energy from a charging base antenna of the charging base,

the modes selectable based on a change in coupling coefficient between the remote antenna and the charging base antenna.

20. The remote subsystem of claim 19, wherein the power converter is reconfigurable based on a measured coupling coefficient between the charging base antenna and the remote antenna.

21. The remote subsystem of claim 20, wherein the measured coupling coefficient is determined from measurements received from a charging base.

22. The remote subsystem of claim 20, wherein if the coupling coefficient becomes greater than a threshold, the power converter is reconfigured to operate in a first mode configured as a full-bridge mode.

23. The remote subsystem of claim 22, wherein the power converter increases a rate of transfer of the wireless energy relative to the rate when operating in the second mode configured as a half-bridge mode.

24. The remote subsystem of claim 20, wherein if the coupling coefficient becomes less than a threshold, the power converter is reconfigured to operate in the second mode configured as a half-bridge mode.

25. The remote subsystem of claim 24, wherein the power converter decreases a rate of transfer of the wireless energy relative to the rate when operating in the first mode configured as a full-bridge mode.

26. The remote subsystem of claim 19, wherein the power converter is reconfigurable based on a distance between the charging base antenna and the remote antenna.

27. The remote subsystem of claim 19, further comprising at least one mechanical device configured to adjust a position of the remote antenna in at least one of an X, Y and Z direction.

28. The remote subsystem of claim 27, further comprising sensors to detect a status where mechanical adjustment of a position of the remote antenna is impeded by any obstacle.

29. The remote subsystem of claim 19, wherein the operating frequency is in range of about 20 kHz to about 60 kHz.

30. The remote subsystem of claim 19, wherein the power converter and the remote antenna can be configured to operate in one of a transmit and receive mode.

31. The remote subsystem of claim 19, wherein the remote energy storage system is at least one of an electrochemical cell, a super capacitor cell, and a kinetic energy storage cell.

32. The remote subsystem of claim 19, wherein the remote energy storage system provides a substantially constant voltage to an interface of the power converter.

33. The remote subsystem of claim 32, wherein power at the interface between the power converter and the remote energy storage system is one of an AC power, a DC power, and a unfiltered AC pulsed DC power.

34. The remote subsystem of claim 19, wherein the power converter is configurable between the first and second modes to transmit power from the remote energy storage system at the operating frequency in a transmit mode.

35. The remote subsystem of claim 19, further comprising a controller configured to receive information indicative of a coupling coefficient from the power converter, and wherein the controller is configured to determine a coupling coefficient based on the received information.

36. A method, comprising:

converting, by a power converter, a power from a power supply system to a power at an operating frequency for transfer of wireless energy;

generating an electromagnetic field by a transmit antenna that is substantially resonant within a first range of the operating frequency to transfer the wireless energy to a receive antenna positioned within a coupling-mode region, the coupling-mode region configured to be accessible by the receive antenna; and

configuring the power converter to one of a first mode of operation to a second mode of operation based on information indicative of a coupling coefficient between the transmit antenna and the receive antenna.

37. The method of claim 36, wherein the information indicative of a coupling coefficient corresponds to a distance between the transmit antenna and the receive antenna.

38. The method of claim 36, further comprising receiving measurements from a receiver of the wireless power for determining the measured coupling coefficient.

39. The method of claim 36, wherein if the measured coupling coefficient becomes greater than a threshold, then reconfiguring the power converter to operate in the first mode configured as a full-bridge mode.

40. The method of claim 39, further comprising increasing a rate of transfer of the wireless energy relative to the rate when operating in the half-bridge mode.

41. The method of claim 36, wherein if the measured coupling coefficient becomes less than a threshold, then reconfiguring the power converter to operate in the second mode configured as a half-bridge mode.

42. The method of claim 41, further comprising decreasing a rate of transfer of the wireless energy relative to the rate when operating in the full-bridge mode.

43. The method of claim 36, further comprising reconfiguring the power converter based on a distance between the transmit antenna and the receive antenna.

44. The method of claim 36, further comprising adjusting a position of at least one of the transmit antenna and the receive antenna in at least one of an X, Y and Z direction.

45. The method of claim 36, further comprising detecting a status where mechanical adjustment of a position of one of the transmit antenna and the receive antenna is impeded by an obstacle.

46. An apparatus, comprising:

means for converting a power from a power supply system to a power at an operating frequency for transfer of wireless energy;

means for generating an electromagnetic field, the generating means substantially resonant within a first range of the operating frequency to transfer the wireless energy to a receive antenna positioned within a coupling-mode region, the coupling-mode region configured to be accessible by the receive antenna; and

means for configuring the converting means to one of a first mode of operation to a second mode of operation based on a measurement indicative of a coupling coefficient between the generating means and the receive antenna.

47. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the measurement indicative of the coupling coefficient corresponds to a distance between the generating means and the receive antenna.

48. The apparatus of claim 46, wherein the converting means comprises a power converter, the generating means comprises an antenna, and the configuring means comprises a controller.

49. A method, comprising:

converting, by a power converter, a power from a power supply system to a power at an operating frequency for transfer of wireless energy;

generating an electromagnetic field by a transmit antenna that is substantially resonant within a first range of the operating frequency to transfer the wireless energy to a receive antenna positioned within a coupling-mode region, the coupling-mode region configured to be accessible by the receive antenna; and

configuring the power converter to one of a first mode of operation to a second mode of operation based on a distance between the transmit antenna and the receive antenna.

50. An apparatus, comprising:

means for converting a power from a power supply system to a power at an operating frequency for transfer of wireless energy;

means for generating an electromagnetic field, the generating means substantially resonant within a first range of the operating frequency to transfer the wireless energy to a receive antenna positioned within a coupling-mode region, the coupling-mode region configured to be accessible by the receive antenna; and

means for configuring the power converter to one of a first mode of operation to a second mode of operation based on a distance between the transmit antenna and the receive antenna.

51. The apparatus of claim 50, wherein the converting means comprises a power converter, the generating means comprises an antenna, and the configuring means comprises a controller.