Apparatus, system and method to wirelessly charge/discharge a battery

• US 9,906,067 B1
• Filed: 06/30/2015
• Issued: 02/27/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Garrity Power Services LLC
• Original Assignee: Garrity Power Services LLC
• Inventors: Garrity, Paul, Jungreis, Aaron
• Primary Examiner(s): Fantu, Yalkew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sharief, Mohammed J
• Application Number:
  US14/754,863
• Time in Patent Office: 973 Days
• Field of Search: 320108
• 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 2207/20 Charging or discharging characterised by the power electronics converter
• 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 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage

Abstract

An apparatus, system and method to wirelessly charge and/or discharge a battery. In one embodiment, the apparatus includes a removable first magnetic core piecepart having a surrounding first metallic coil and configured to be coupled to and aligned with a second magnetic core piecepart having a surrounding second metallic coil to form a transformer. The apparatus also includes a battery metallically coupled to the first metallic coil and configured to be charged and discharged through an electrically isolating path of the transformer.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

a first magnetic core piecepart having a first metallic coil encircling at least a portion thereof and configured to be coupled to, aligned with and removable from a second magnetic core piecepart having a second metallic coil encircling at least a portion thereof to form a transformer; and

a battery metallically coupled to said first metallic coil and configured to be charged and discharged through an electrically isolating path of said transformer.

2. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said first magnetic core piecepart and said second magnetic core piecepart are configured to be aligned with a permanent magnet.

3. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 further comprising an aligner configured to mechanically align said first magnetic core piecepart to said second magnetic core piecepart.

4. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein said first magnetic core piecepart and said second magnetic core piecepart comprise a structure configured to mechanically align said first magnetic core piecepart to said second magnetic core piecepart.

5. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 further comprising a cavity configured to receive said first magnetic core piecepart.

6. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 wherein a mechanical coupling enables at least 90 percent of a magnetic field induced in said first magnetic core piecepart to be linked to said second magnetic core piecepart.

7. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 further comprising a power train including a first switching circuit coupled to said first metallic coil configured to form a portion of a resonant topology with a second switching circuit coupled to said second metallic coil.

8. The apparatus as recited in claim 7 further comprising a controller configured to selectively cause at least a portion of said power train to switch between full-bridge and half-bridge operation in response to a sensed voltage level.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 7 wherein said power train is configured to be intermittently operated in a burst mode of operation to control a characteristic of said battery.

10. The apparatus as recited in claim 7 further comprising a capacitor selected to produce substantially zero-current switching of said first switching circuit in said power train in conjunction with an inductor.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 10 wherein said inductor is formed at least in part with said first metallic coil.

12. The apparatus as recited in claim 7 wherein said power train is configured to enable said battery to be successively charged and discharged without changing a duty cycle of said first switching circuit and said second switching circuit.

13. The apparatus as recited in claim 1 further comprising a third magnetic core piecepart having a relative magnetic permeability between a relative magnetic permeability of air and said first magnetic core piecepart and couplable to said first magnetic core piecepart or said second magnetic core piecepart.

14. The apparatus as recited in claim 13 wherein said relative magnetic permeability of said third magnetic core piecepart is between 4 and 100.

15. A system, comprising:

a wireless battery interface including a wireless battery interface magnetic core piecepart; and

a wireless battery, including;

a wireless battery magnetic core piecepart configured to be coupled to, aligned with and removable from said wireless battery interface magnetic core piecepart to form a transformer; and

a battery metallically coupled to a first metallic coil encircling at least a portion of said wireless battery magnetic core piecepart and configured to be charged and discharged through an electrically isolating path of said transformer.

16. The system as recited in claim 15 further comprising a power train including a first switching circuit of said wireless battery configured to form a portion of a resonant topology with a second switching circuit of said wireless battery interface.

17. The system as recited in claim 16 wherein said first switching circuit is configured to be operated with a first duty cycle and said second switching circuit is configured to be operated with a second duty cycle, said first duty cycle and said second duty cycle being controlled to enable a bidirectional power flow between said wireless battery and said wireless battery interface without altering said first duty cycle and said second duty cycle.

18. The system as recited in claim 16, further comprising:

a first controller in said wireless battery configured to provide a signal to couple an impedance across said first metallic coil to advance a zero-crossing of a current in a second metallic coil encircling at least a portion of said wireless battery interface magnetic core piecepart; and

a second controller in said wireless battery interface configured to disable said second switching circuit in response to detecting said advance of said zero-crossing of said current in said second metallic coil.

19. The system as recited in claim 18 wherein said first controller is configured to enable a voltage pulse to be applied across said first metallic coil that is reflected to said second metallic coil, and said second controller being configured to enable said second switching circuit in response to detecting said voltage pulse across said second metallic coil.

20. The system as recited in claim 18 wherein said second controller operates said wireless battery interface in a boost mode of operation to manage a power flow to said wireless battery.