Inductive charging arrangement for a vehicle battery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11370312-B2
Application number	US-201816960154-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 19, 2018
Priority date	Jan 10, 2018
Publication date	Jun 28, 2022
Grant date	Jun 28, 2022

Abstract

An inductive charging arrangement for a vehicle battery having a counter coil arrangement which comprises at least one primary coil arrangement located outside the vehicle and at least one secondary coil arrangement located inside the vehicle, wherein primary coil arrangement and secondary coil arrangement each comprise a coil and a magnetic core and, with appropriate positioning of the vehicle and energizing of the primary coil arrangement, electric energy is transmitted by inductive coupling from the primary coil arrangement to the secondary coil arrangement wherein the air gap is part of the transmission region and means are provided to minimize the air gap between the primary coil arrangement and the secondary coil arrangement.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An Inductive charging arrangement for a vehicle battery comprising:
a counter coil arrangement which further comprises at least one primary coil arrangement located outside the vehicle and at least one secondary coil arrangement located inside the vehicle, wherein primary coil arrangement and secondary coil arrangement each comprise a coil and a magnetic core and, with appropriate positioning of the vehicle and energizing of the primary coil arrangement, electric energy is transmitted by inductive coupling from the primary coil arrangement to the secondary coil arrangement, wherein the air gap is part of the transmission region and means are provided to minimize the air gap between the primary coil arrangement and the secondary coil arrangement, wherein at least one reversibly deformable container filled or fillable using a liquid of high magnetic conductivity is arranged and formed in the region of the primary coil arrangement and/or the region of the secondary coil arrangement such that the container deforms in the direction of the respective other coil arrangement of the counter coil arrangement due to pressurizing of the liquid of high magnetic conductivity, and in that the deformable container and the liquid of high magnetic conductivity located therein are arranged such that the liquid of high magnetic conductivity, at least after the deformation of the reversibly deformable container, minimizing the air gap, is part of the transmission region between primary coil arrangement and secondary coil arrangement,
wherein the at least one reversibly deformable container comprises a soft magnetic wall corresponding to the other coil arrangement on its side facing toward the respective other coil arrangement, and
wherein the primary coil core of the primary coil arrangement and/or the secondary coil core of the secondary coil arrangement is formed by the liquid of high magnetic conductivity.

2. The charging device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the liquid of high magnetic conductivity is a ferrofluid.

3. The charging device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one reversibly deformable container is spring-loaded against its deformation direction.

4. The charging device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the at least one reversibly deformable container is telescopic in the direction of the respective other coil arrangement of the counter coil arrangement.

5. The charging device as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the at least one reversibly deformable container is a telescopic bellows, preferably a folded bellows having a closed end.

6. The charging device as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the at least one reversibly deformable container is a telescopic tube arrangement having a closed tube end.

7. The charging device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the liquid of high magnetic conductivity can be conveyed by means of a power-driven conveyor mechanism under pressure from a storage chamber into the at least one reversibly deformable container, in such a way that the reversibly deformable container deforms in dependence on the conveyed quantity of liquid of high magnetic conductivity.

8. The charging device as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the power-driven conveyor mechanism comprises a cylinder-piston arrangement.

9. The charging device as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the piston of the cylinder-piston arrangement is driven mechanically or pneumatically or hydraulically or electrically.

10. The charging device as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the liquid of high magnetic conductivity is in thermally-conductive contact with a cooling device at least during the inductive power transmission.

11. The charging device as claimed in claim 7 , wherein a measuring device for determining the size of the air gap between primary coil arrangement and secondary coil arrangement is provided, and in that the power-driven conveying mechanism can be controlled in dependence on the size of the air gap.

12. The charging device as claimed in claim 7 , wherein force can be applied to the piston of the piston-cylinder arrangement using a medium, which is provided in any case in the vehicle and can be conveyed and pressurized using a pump device.

13. A method for operating a charging device comprising:
a counter coil arrangement which further comprises at least one primary coil arrangement located outside the vehicle and at least one secondary coil arrangement located inside the vehicle, wherein primary coil arrangement and secondary coil arrangement each comprise a coil and a magnetic core and, with appropriate positioning of the vehicle and energizing of the primary coil arrangement, electric energy is transmitted by inductive coupling from the primary coil arrangement to the secondary coil arrangement, wherein the air gap is part of the transmission region and means are provided to minimize the air gap between the primary coil arrangement and the secondary coil arrangement, wherein at least one reversibly deformable container filled or fillable using a liquid of high magnetic conductivity is arranged and formed in the region of the primary coil arrangement and/or the region of the secondary coil arrangement such that the container deforms in the direction of the respective other coil arrangement of the counter coil arrangement due to pressurizing of the liquid of high magnetic conductivity, and in that the deformable container and the liquid of high magnetic conductivity located therein are arranged such that the liquid of high magnetic conductivity, at least after the deformation of the reversibly deformable container, minimizing the air gap, is part of the transmission region between primary coil arrangement and secondary coil arrangement,
wherein the primary coil is energized using a pulsed direct current,
wherein the at least one reversibly deformable container comprises a soft magnetic wall corresponding to the other coil arrangement on its side facing toward the respective other coil arrangement, and
wherein the primary coil core of the primary coil arrangement and/or the secondary coil core of the secondary coil arrangement is formed by the liquid of high magnetic conductivity.

14. The charging device as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the at least one reversibly deformable container comprises a soft magnetic wall corresponding to the other coil arrangement on its side facing toward the respective other coil arrangement.

15. The charging device as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the at least one reversibly deformable container comprises a soft magnetic wall corresponding to the other coil arrangement on its side facing toward the respective other coil arrangement.

Assignees

• Audi Ag

Inventors

• Albl Sebastian

Classifications

• H02J2105/37

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

• H02J7/70

  characterised by the mechanical construction · CPC title

• Y02T90/14

  Plug-in electric vehicles · CPC title

• Y02T10/7072

  Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors · CPC title

• Y02T10/70

  Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries · CPC title