Wireless energy transfer for vehicles

• US 8,933,594 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2011
• Issued: 01/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: WiTricity Corporation
• Original Assignee: WiTricity Corporation
• Inventors: Kurs, Andre B., Karalis, Aristeidis, Soljacic, Marin, Hall, Katherine L., Kesler, Morris P., Campanella, Andrew J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford
• Assistant Examiner(s): DHILLON, JAGDEEP S
• Application Number:
  US13/276,295
• Publication Number:
  US 20120119575A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,183 Days
• Field of Search: 307/104, 307/9.1, 307/10.1, 307/652, 320/108, 343/705, 343/789, 333/186, 372/20
• US Class Current: 307/326
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/12 Bikes
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/18 Buses
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/26 Rail vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/36 Vehicles designed to transport cargo, e.g. trucks
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/40 Working vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2200/42 Fork lift trucks
• 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 2240/36 Temperature of vehicle components or parts
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/525 Temperature of converter or components thereof
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/527 Voltage
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/529 Current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/662 Temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/72 Charging station selection relying on external data
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/10 by alarm
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2250/16 by display
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2270/32 of electricity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/003 relating to inverters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/04 : Cutting off the power supply under fault conditions protective devices and circuit arrangements in general H01H; H02H
• 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 53/122 : 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 53/302 : Cooling of charging equipment
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 : Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/36 : by positioning the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/39 : with position-responsive activation of primary coils
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/51 : Photovoltaic means
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/53 : Batteries
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/55 : Capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/63 : in response to network capacity
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/64 : Optimising energy costs, e.g. responding to electricity rates
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 : involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 : Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• 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: H02J 2310/48 : for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/322 : the battery being on-board an electric or hybrid vehicle, e.g. vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G], power aggregation, use of the battery for network load balancing, coordinated or cooperative battery charging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 : of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/50 : using additional energy repeaters between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• 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: H03H 7/40 : Automatic matching of load impedance to source impedance
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 : Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/60 : Electric or hybrid propulsion means for production processes
• 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 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]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A vehicle powering wireless receiver for use with a first electromagnetic resonator coupled to a power supply. The wireless receiver includes a load configured to power the drive system of a vehicle using electrical power, and a second electromagnetic resonator adapted to be housed upon the vehicle and configured to be coupled to the load, wherein the second electromagnetic resonator is configured to be wirelessly coupled to the first electromagnetic resonator to provide resonant, non-radiative wireless power to the second electromagnetic resonator from the first electromagnetic resonator; and wherein the field of at least one of the first electromagnetic resonator and the second electromagnetic resonator is shaped using a conducting surface to avoid a loss-inducing object.

Claims

1. A vehicle powering wireless power receiver, comprising:

a load coupled to a drive system of the vehicle;

an electromagnetic resonator configured for attachment to the vehicle and coupled to the load, wherein the electromagnetic resonator is configured to receive power from a resonant, non-radiative wireless power source and to deliver power to the load; and

a member formed of conducting material and having a surface positioned relative to a loss-inducing object so that a magnitude of a magnetic field generated by at least one of the electromagnetic resonator and the power source is reduced in a spatial region corresponding to the loss-inducing object relative to that in the absence of the member,

wherein the member is not resonant with the electromagnetic resonator.

2. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic resonator is configured to be disposed on an under-carriage of the vehicle.

3. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is an electric vehicle.

4. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein the vehicle is a hybrid vehicle.

5. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic resonator is moveable relative to the power source while power is transferred from the power source to the power receiver.

16. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein the member is positioned within 10 cm of the loss-inducing object.

17. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, further comprising a second member formed of conducting material and having a surface positioned relative to the loss-inducing object so that a magnitude of a magnetic field generated by at least one of the electromagnetic resonator and the power source is reduced in a spatial region corresponding to the loss-inducing object.

18. The wireless power receiver of claim 17, wherein the two members are positioned on opposite sides of the loss-inducing object.

19. The wireless power receiver of claim 17, wherein the two members at least partially surround the loss-inducing object.

20. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein the member is configured to shape the magnetic field in a spatial region that comprises the loss-inducing object.

21. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein the member is configured to deflect the magnetic field in a spatial region that comprises the loss-inducing object.

22. The wireless power receiver of claim 20, wherein the member is configured to shape the magnetic field so that the magnetic field is oriented tangentially with respect to the surface of the member at a position of the surface.

23. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein the magnetic field has a frequency, and wherein a thickness of the member measured in a direction normal to the surface is larger than a skin depth of the magnetic field at the magnetic field frequency.

24. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the member is 20 microns or more.

25. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the member is 100 microns or more.

6. A power source for wirelessly providing power to a power receiver coupled to a vehicle, the power source comprising:

a power supply;

an electromagnetic resonator coupled to the power supply and configured to provide resonant, non-radiative wireless power transfer to the wireless power receiver; and

a member formed of conducting material and having a surface positioned relative to a loss-inducing object so that a magnitude of a magnetic field generated by at least one of the electromagnetic resonator and the power receiver is reduced in a spatial region corresponding to the loss-inducing object relative to that in the absence of the member,

wherein the member is not resonant with the electromagnetic resonator.

7. The power source of claim 6, wherein the electromagnetic resonator is configured to be disposed on an under-carriage of the vehicle.

8. The power source of claim 6, wherein the vehicle is an electric vehicle.

9. The power source of claim 6, wherein the vehicle is a hybrid vehicle.

10. The power source of claim 6, wherein the electromagnetic resonator is moveable relative to the power receiver while power is transferred from the power source to the power receiver.

26. The power source of claim 6, wherein the member is positioned within 10 cm of the loss-inducing object.

27. The power source of claim 6, further comprising a second member formed of conducting material and having a surface positioned relative to the loss-inducing object so that a magnitude of a magnetic field generated by at least one of the electromagnetic resonator and the power receiver is reduced in a spatial region corresponding to the loss-inducing object.

28. The power source of claim 27, wherein the two members are positioned on opposite sides of the loss-inducing object.

29. The power source of claim 27, wherein the two members at least partially surround the loss-inducing object.

30. The power source of claim 6, wherein the member is configured to shape the magnetic field in a spatial region that comprises the loss-inducing object.

31. The power source of claim 6, wherein the member is configured to deflect the magnetic field in a spatial region that comprises the loss-inducing object.

32. The power source of claim 30, wherein the member is configured to shape the magnetic field so that the magnetic field is oriented tangentially with respect to the surface of the member at a position of the surface.

33. The power source of claim 6, wherein the magnetic field has a frequency, and wherein a thickness of the member measured in a direction normal to the surface is larger than a skin depth of the magnetic field at the magnetic field frequency.

34. The power source of claim 6, wherein the thickness of the member is 20 microns or more.

35. The power source of claim 6, wherein the thickness of the member is 100 microns or more.

11. A vehicle wireless power system, comprising:

a power supply;

a first electromagnetic resonator coupled to the power supply;

a load coupled to a drive system of the vehicle; and

a second electromagnetic resonator coupled to the load and configured for attachment to the vehicle, wherein the second electromagnetic resonator is configured wirelessly receive resonant, non-radiative wireless power from the first electromagnetic resonator and to deliver power to the load; and

a member formed of conducting material and having a surface positioned relative to a loss-inducing object so that a magnitude of a magnetic field generated by at least one of the first and second electromagnetic resonators is reduced in a spatial region corresponding to the loss-inducing object relative to that in the absence of the member,

wherein the member is not resonant with the first or second electromagnetic resonators.

12. The wireless power system of claim 11, wherein the second electromagnetic resonator is configured to be disposed on an under-carriage of the vehicle.

13. The wireless power system of claim 11, wherein the vehicle is an electric vehicle.

14. The wireless power system of claim 11, wherein the vehicle is a hybrid vehicle.

15. The wireless power system of claim 11, wherein the second electromagnetic resonator is moveable relative to the first electromagnetic resonator while power is transferred from the first electromagnetic resonator to the second electromagnetic resonator.

36. The wireless power system of claim 11, wherein the member is positioned within 10 cm of the loss-inducing object.

37. The wireless power system of claim 11, further comprising a second member formed of conducting material and having a surface positioned relative to the loss-inducing object so that a magnitude of a magnetic field generated by at least one of the electromagnetic resonator and the power source is reduced in a spatial region corresponding to the loss-inducing object.

38. The wireless power system of claim 37, wherein the two members are positioned on opposite sides of the loss-inducing object.

39. The wireless power system of claim 37, wherein the two members at least partially surround the loss-inducing object.

40. The wireless power system of claim 11, wherein the member is configured to shape the magnetic field in a spatial region that comprises the loss-inducing object.

41. The wireless power system of claim 11, wherein the member is configured to deflect the magnetic field in a spatial region that comprises the loss-inducing object.

42. The wireless power system of claim 40, wherein the member is configured to shape the magnetic field so that the magnetic field is oriented tangentially with respect to the surface of the member at a position of the surface.

43. The wireless power system of claim 11, wherein the magnetic field has a frequency, and wherein a thickness of the member measured in a direction normal to the surface is larger than a skin depth of the magnetic field at the magnetic field frequency.

44. The wireless power system of claim 11, wherein the thickness of the member is 20 microns or more.

45. The wireless power system of claim 11, wherein the thickness of the member is 100 microns or more.