Wireless power transmission apparatus with multiple controllers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11018530-B2
Application number	US-201816184501-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 8, 2018
Priority date	Aug 31, 2018
Publication date	May 25, 2021
Grant date	May 25, 2021

Abstract

This disclosure provides systems, devices, apparatus and methods, including computer programs encoded on storage media, for wireless power transmission. In accordance with this disclosure, a wireless power transmission apparatus (such as a charging pad) may support positional freedom such that a wireless power receiving apparatus may be charged regardless of positioning or orientation of the wireless power receiving apparatus. Various implementations include the use of multiple primary coils in a wireless power transmission apparatus. In some implementations, a wireless power transmission apparatus having multiple local controllers to activate different primary coils. In some implementations, the wireless power transmission apparatus may support concurrent charging of multiple wireless power receiving apparatuses. Furthermore, in some implementations, the wireless power transmission apparatus may support charging of a wireless power receiving apparatus that moves in relation to the wireless power transmission apparatus.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wireless power transmission apparatus, comprising:
a plurality of primary coils including at least a first primary coil and a second primary coil that are independently capable of transmitting wireless power, wherein the second primary coil is adjacent to the first primary coil; and
a plurality of local controllers including at least a first local controller configured to manage the first primary coil and a second local controller configured to manage the second primary coil, wherein, in response to a determination that a first wireless power receiving apparatus is in proximity to the first primary coil:
the first local controller is configured cause the first primary coil to transmit wireless power, and
the second local controller is configured to change to a ready state such that the second local controller is ready to cause the second primary coil to transmit wireless power in response to a determination that the first wireless power receiving apparatus has moved from the first primary coil to the second primary coil.

2. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a charging pad on which multiple wireless power receiving apparatuses may be placed, wherein the plurality of primary coils are arranged in an overlapping pattern that is distributed among multiple layers of the charging pad.

3. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 1 , wherein, when energized, the plurality of primary coils are arranged to create a magnetic field without dead zones in a charging surface of the wireless power transmission apparatus.

4. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first wireless power receiving apparatus is a movable device, and wherein the wireless power transmission apparatus includes a surface for transmitting power to the movable device while the movable device is in motion.

5. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the second local controller is configured cause at least a second primary coil of the plurality of primary coils to transmit wireless power in response to a determination that a second wireless power receiving apparatus is in proximity to the second primary coil.

6. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 5 , wherein the first primary coil and the second primary coil are configured to concurrently transmit wireless power to the first wireless power receiving apparatus and the second wireless power receiving apparatus, respectively.

7. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 6 , comprising:
the first local controller configured to manage a first voltage of the wireless power transmitted by the first primary coil to the first wireless power receiving apparatus, and
the second local controller configured to manage a second voltage of the wireless power transmitted by the second primary coil to the second wireless power receiving apparatus.

8. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
at least a first local sensor configured to detect an object in proximity to the first primary coil based on a coil current measurement; and
the first local controller configured to determine that the object is the first wireless power receiving apparatus based on load variations in a series of coil current measurements.

9. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the first local controller is configured to determine that the object is the first wireless power receiving apparatus based, at least in part, on decoding load modulated data associated with the load variations.

10. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of local sensors configured to detect load variations associated with corresponding ones of the plurality of primary coils.

11. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 10 ,
wherein each local controller is associated with a corresponding local sensor and corresponding primary coil, and
wherein each local controller is configured to manage one or more primary coils in response to the load variations detected by the corresponding local sensor.

12. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
one or more communication units configured to communicate with the first wireless power receiving apparatus via one or more primary coils, wherein the first wireless power receiving apparatus is determined to be in proximity to the first primary coil is based, at least in part, on a first communication received from the first wireless power receiving apparatus via the first primary coil.

13. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 1 ,
wherein the first wireless power receiving apparatus is embodied as a vehicle for transporting people or goods, and
wherein the wireless power transmission apparatus is embodied in a floor or road surface.

14. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a supervisory controller configured to coordinate operations of the plurality of local controllers.

15. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the supervisory controller is configured to coordinate a detection phase performed by the plurality of local controllers to cause neighboring local controllers to perform the detection phase at deterministic times.

16. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the supervisory controller is configured to coordinate the wireless charging of the plurality of local controllers based, at least in part, on a position of the first wireless power receiving apparatus in relation to the plurality of primary coils.

17. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the supervisory controller is configured to determine the position based, at least in part, on an indication from the first local controller that the first wireless power receiving apparatus in proximity to the first primary coil.

18. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the first local controller is configured to determine the position of the first wireless power receiving apparatus in relation to multiple primary coils of the plurality of primary coils.

19. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the supervisory controller is communicatively coupled with at least a first spatial sensor configured to detect the position of the first wireless power receiving apparatus in relation to multiple primary coils of the plurality of primary coils, and wherein the first spatial sensor includes at least one of a camera, a light sensor, an auditory sensor, an infrared sensor, or a radio frequency energy sensor.

20. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the supervisory controller is configured to communicate with the second local controller to cause the second primary coil to transmit wireless power in response to the determination that the first wireless power receiving apparatus has moved from the first primary coil to the second primary coil.

21. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 20 , wherein the supervisory controller is configured to communicate with the first local controller to cause the first primary coil to stop transmitting wireless power to the first wireless power receiving apparatus in response to the determination that the first wireless power receiving apparatus has moved from the first primary coil to the second primary coil.

22. The

Assignees

• Ge Hybrid Tech Llc

Inventors

• Narayana Bhat Suma Memana
• Kanakasabai Viswanathan
• Aravind Deepak
• Bohori Adnan Kutubuddin

Classifications

• H02J2105/37

  exchanging power with electric vehicles [EV] or with hybrid electric vehicles [HEV] · CPC title

• H02J7/50

  acting upon multiple batteries simultaneously or sequentially · CPC title

• H02J7/42

  with electronic devices having internal batteries, e.g. mobile phones · CPC title

• B60L53/122 Primary

  Circuits or methods for driving the primary coil, e.g. supplying electric power to the coil · CPC title

• H02J50/10

  using inductive coupling · CPC title