System for transferring power inductively to items within a container

• US 9,166,440 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2012
• Issued: 10/20/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Powermat Technologies, Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Powermat Technologies, Ltd.
• Inventors: Ben-Shalom, Amir, Rofe, Arik, Greenwald, Oola, Raveh, Guy, Match, Elieser
• Primary Examiner(s): Siek, Vuthe
• Application Number:
  US13/978,865
• Publication Number:
  US 20130285606A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,379 Days
• Field of Search: 320/108
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 2310/22 The load being a portable electronic device
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• 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 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00714 in response to battery charging or discharging current
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007182 in response to battery voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007194 of the battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

An inductive power transfer system includes an inductive power transmitter in the shape of a container that is capable of holding one or more electrical devices. The system is operable to transfer power inductively to devices stowed within the container via inductive power receivers. The inductive power transmitter includes at least one primary inductor configured to couple inductively with at least one secondary inductor and at least one driver configured to provide a variable electric potential at a driving frequency across said primary inductor. The inductive power receiver may comprise at least one secondary inductor connectable to a receiving circuit and an electric load, said secondary inductor configured to couple inductively with said at least one primary inductor such that power is transferred to said electric load.

Claims

1. An inductive power transfer system comprising at least one of an inductive power transmitter and an inductive power receiver,

said inductive power transmitter comprising least one primary inductor configured to couple inductively with at least one secondary inductor and at least one driver configured to provide a variable electric potential at a driving frequency across said primary inductor;

and

said inductive power receiver comprising at least one secondary inductor connectable to a receiving circuit and an electric load, said secondary inductor configured to couple inductively with said at least one primary inductor such that power is transferred to said electric load, said inductive power receiver further comprising a regulator operable to trickle charge the load, and further operable to provide a current to the load such that a rate of charging the load is substantially the same as a self-discharging rate of the load,

wherein said inductive power transmitter is in the shape of a container and comprises an inductive charging space capable of holding at least one of said inductive power receivers, and wherein said inductive power transmitter comprises a plurality of primary inductors being positioned such that a first primary inductor produces a first magnetic field in an orientation that is different from the orientation of a second magnetic field produced by a second primary inductor.

2. The inductive power transfer system of claim 1, wherein the shape of the inductive power transmitter is selected from a group consisting of a sphere, a cube, a cuboid, a cylinder, a cone, a pyramid, a prism, a cup-like shape, a bucket-like shape and a box-like shape.

3. The inductive power transfer system of claim 1, wherein said inductive power transmitter is integrated into an item selected from a group consisting of a drawer, a desk, a table, a sofa, a cabinet compartment, a kitchen counter, a television table, a toy box, a tool box and an electronic device.

4. The inductive power transfer system of claim 1, wherein said plurality of primary inductors are positioned such that the first magnetic field is orthogonal in orientation to the second magnetic field.

5. The inductive power transfer system of claim 1, wherein said inductive power transmitter is box-shaped, and wherein said inductive power transmitter comprises three primary inductors, each primary inductor situated in three adjacent walls of said inductive power transmitter.

6. The inductive power transfer system of claim 1, wherein said inductive power transmitter is operable in a plurality of modes, a mode being characterized by the activation of at least one primary inductor, and

wherein said inductive power transmitter further comprises a mode selector configured to sequentially switch the inductive power transmitter between said plurality of modes.

7. The inductive power transfer system of claim 1, wherein the inductive power receiver comprises a resonance tuner operable to tune a resonant frequency of said receiving circuit to a driving frequency of the primary inductor.

8. The inductive power transfer system of claim 1, wherein the inductive power receiver comprises a resonance tuner operable to tune the resonant frequency of the inductive power transfer system such that the inductive power transmitter and the inductive power receiver are resonantly coupled.

9. The inductive power transfer system of claim 8, wherein the inductive power receiver further comprises a resonance seeking arrangement operable to determine the natural resonant frequencies of the inductive power transfer system.

10. The inductive power transfer system of claim 1, wherein the regulator is operable to monitor the discharge voltage of the load, and wherein the regulator comprises a switching unit operable to disconnect the load from the induced output voltage from the secondary inductor if the discharge voltage of the load is at a reference level signifying full charge, and further operable to connect the load to the induced output voltage from the secondary inductor if the discharge voltage of the load is below the reference level signifying full charge.

11. The inductive power transfer system of claim 1, further comprising a position sensor operable to monitor a position of the inductive power receiver in relation to the inductive power transmitter, wherein the position sensor is operable to activate the primary inductor of the inductive power transmitter if the inductive power receiver is within an inductive charging space of the inductive power transmitter.

12. The inductive power transfer system of claim 1, wherein the inductive power transmitter is operable to transmit power to the inductive power receiver when the inductive power transmitter and the inductive power receiver are coupled with a low coefficient of coupling.

13. The inductive power transfer system of claim 1, wherein the inductive power transmitter and the inductive power receiver are configured to be resonantly coupled.

14. The inductive power transfer system of claim 1, wherein the electrical load is selected from a group consisting of an electrochemical cell, a battery and a supercapacitor.

15. The inductive power transfer system of claim 14, wherein the electrochemical cell is selected from a group consisting of a lithium-thionyl chloride cell, a Li/SOCl₂ Cell, a Li/SO₂ Cell, a Li/MnO₂ Cell, a Lithium Polymer Cell, a Special Cell, a Mobile Phone Cell, a Charger Li-ion Cell, a NiMH Cells and a New Products NiCd Cells.

16. The inductive power transfer system of claim 1, wherein the inductive power receiver is in a shape that is substantially the same as, and compatible with typical connection mechanisms for, a standard battery shape selected from a group consisting of AAA, U16, Micro, Microlight, MN2400, MX2400, Type 286, UM 4, #7, 6135-99-117-3143, AA, U7, Pencil sized, Penlight, Mignon, MN1500, MX1500, Type 316, UM3, #5, 6135-99-052-0009, 6135-99-195-6708, C, U11, MN1400, MX1400, Baby, Type 343, BA-42, UM2, #2, 6135-99-199-4779, 6135-99-117-3212, D, U2, Flashlight Battery, MN1300, MX1300, Mono, Type 373, BA-30, UM1, #1, 6135-9-464-1938, 6135-99-109-9428, 9-Volt, PP3, Radio Battery, Smoke Alarm, MN1604, Square Battery, Krona, Transistor, 6135-99-634-8080, Watch Cell, Button Cell, Coin Cell, Micro Cell and Miniature Cell.

17. The inductive power transfer system of claim 1, wherein the secondary inductor is a coil of conducting wire that is wrapped around the exterior of the inductive power receiver.

18. The inductive power transfer system of claim 17, wherein said inductive power receiver may comprise a plurality of secondary inductors arranged in a plurality of orientations.

19. The inductive power transfer system of claim 1, wherein the inductive power receiver is incorporated into an electrical device selected from a group consisting of remote control units, telephones, media players, PDAs, Walkmans, portable music players, dictaphones, portable DVD players, mobile communications devices, calculators, mobile phones, hairdryers, shavers, defoliators, delapidators, wax-melting equipment, hair curlers, beard trippers, lights, radios, electric knives, cassette players, and CD players.

20. An inductive power receiver comprising at least one secondary inductor connectable to a receiving circuit and an electric load, said secondary inductor configured to couple inductively with a primary inductor such that power is transferred to said electric load, said inductive power receiver further comprising a regulator operable to trickle charge the load, and further operable to provide a current to the load such that a rate of charging the load is substantially the same as a self-discharging rate of the load.