Wireless electrical charging system and method of operating same

• US 9,707,853 B2
• Filed: 05/19/2016
• Issued: 07/18/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Aptiv Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc. (BorgWarner Incorporated)
• Inventors: Pasha, Kerry White, Boyer, Richard J., Pasha, Brian D., Fuzo, John Victor
• Primary Examiner(s): Muralidar, Richard V
• Application Number:
  US15/159,312
• Publication Number:
  US 20160264010A1
• Time in Patent Office: 425 Days
• Field of Search: 320104, 320108, 320109
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/62 Vehicle position
• 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 53/38 specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/665 Methods related to measuring, billing or payment
• 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 50/80 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 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• 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 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

An electrical charging system configured to charge a battery includes a power transmitter, an energy coupling arrangement, an electrical signal shaping device including a controller, and an alignment means. The arrangement includes a first inductive coil disposed external to the vehicle and a second inductive coil attached with the vehicle. The alignment means communicates with the vehicle to ensure repeatable vehicle positioning so that the second inductive coil is positioned relative to the first inductive coil so that the second inductive coil receives the energy produced by the power transmitter wirelessly transmitted from the first inductive coil. The energy received by the second inductive coil is electrically shaped by the electrical signal shaping device and further transmitted through the electrical signal shaping device as controlled by the controller to charge the battery. Methods for transmitting energy through the electrical charging system to charge the battery are also presented.

Claims

1. An electrical charging system to electrically charge an battery of a vehicle, comprising:

a primary charging system having a power transmitter configured to provide energy, an off-vehicle inductive coil in electrical communication with the power transmitter and disposed external to the vehicle, an on-vehicle inductive coil disposed on the vehicle, and configured to receive a portion of the energy wirelessly transmitted from the off-vehicle inductive coil, an electrical signal shaping device in electrical communication with the on-vehicle inductive coil to electrically shape the portion of the received energy and electrically transmit electrically-shaped energy to electrically charge the battery, and an alignment means for positioning the vehicle relative to the off-vehicle inductive coil of the energy coupling arrangement such that the on-vehicle inductive coil is aligned with the off-vehicle inductive coil such that the portion of the wirelessly energy received by on-vehicle inductive coil is at least 75% of the wirelessly energy transmitted by the off on-vehicle inductive coil; and

a secondary charging system distinct from the primary charging system in communication with the electrical signal shaping device, wherein the electrical charging system prevents the primary system from electrically charging the battery when the secondary system is electrically charging the battery.

2. The electrical charging system according to claim 1, wherein the alignment means positions the vehicle such that at least a portion of the on-vehicle inductive coil overlies at least a portion of the off-vehicle inductive coil.

3. The electrical charging system according to claim 1, wherein the alignment means includes a wheel chock.

4. The electrical charging system according to claim 1, wherein the electrical signal shaping device further includes:

a rectifier in downstream electrical communication with the on-vehicle inductive coil,

an inverter in downstream electrical communication with the rectifier, and

a transfer switch in downstream electrical communication with the inverter, and the battery is in downstream electrical communication with the transfer switch.

5. The electrical charging system according to claim 1, wherein the electrical signal shaping device further includes:

a rectifier in downstream electrical communication with the on-vehicle inductive coil,

a charger in downstream electrical communication with the rectifier, wherein the controller communicates with the charger on a communication data bus.

6. The electrical charging system according to claim 5, wherein the electrical signal shaping device further includes an inverter disposed intermediate to, and in respective electrical communication with the rectifier and the charger.

7. The electrical charging system according to claim 1, wherein the electrical signal shaping device further includes:

a converter in downstream electrical communication with the on-vehicle inductive coil,

a transfer switch in downstream electrical communication with the converter, wherein the battery is in downstream electrical communication with the transfer switch.

8. The electrical charging system according to claim 1, wherein the primary system is connected to a first power source and the secondary system is connected to a second power source and wherein the voltage of the first power source is greater than the voltage of the second power source.

9. The electrical charging system according to claim 1, wherein the electrically-shaped energy has a first frequency at an input of the electrical signal shaping device and a second frequency at an output of the electrical signal shaping device and wherein the first frequency is greater than the second frequency.

10. The electrical charging system according to claim 9, wherein the first frequency is disposed in a range from 20 kHz to 200 kHz and the second frequency is less than 20 kHz.