Wireless electrical charging system and method of operating same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016264010-A1
Application number	US-201615159312-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	May 19, 2016
Priority date	Jul 11, 2011
Publication date	Sep 15, 2016
Grant date	—

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.

First claim

We claim:

1 . An electrical charging system to electrically charge an battery of a vehicle, comprising:
a power transmitter configured to provide energy; an energy coupling arrangement having an off-vehicle inductive coil and an on-vehicle inductive coil, the off-vehicle inductive coil being disposed external to the vehicle and in electrical communication with the power transmitter and the on-vehicle inductive coil being disposed on the vehicle, the on-vehicle inductive coil being configured to receive at least 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 the electrical signal shaping device includes a controller; and an alignment means configured to communicate with the vehicle so that the vehicle is positioned relative to the off-vehicle inductive coil of the energy coupling arrangement such that the on-vehicle inductive coil receives the energy wirelessly transmitted from the off-vehicle inductive coil.

2 . The electrical charging system according to claim 1 , wherein when the portion of the vehicle communicates with the alignment means 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 controller communicates with an electrical device in the electrical signal shaping device.

9 . The electrical charging system according to claim 8 , wherein the controller has data communication with a plurality of electrical devices in the electrical charging system.

10 . The electrical charging system according to claim 1 , wherein the on-vehicle inductive coil receives the energy electromagnetically transmitted from the off-vehicle inductive coil.

11 . The electrical charging system according to claim 1 , wherein the electrical charging system includes a primary system and a secondary system different from the primary system, and the primary system includes:
the power transmitter, the energy coupling arrangement, the electrical signal shaping device, and the alignment means, and the secondary system has electrical communication with the electrical signal shaping device.

12 . The electrical charging system according to claim 11 , wherein, as the secondary system is electrically charging the battery, the electrical charging system prevents the primary system from electrically charging the battery.

13 . The electrical charging system according to claim 11 , wherein the primary system is electrically supplied energy by a first power source and the secondary system is electrically supplied energy by a second power source, and the voltage of the first power source is greater than the voltage of the second power source.

14 . The electrical charging system according to claim 1 , wherein the electrically-shaped energy has a first frequency as it is electrically transmitted through at least a portion of the electrical signal shaping device and a second frequency at an output of the electrical signal shaping device that is received at an input to the battery, and the first frequency is greater than the second frequency.

15 . The electrical charging system according to claim 14 , wherein the first frequency is disposed in a range from 20 kHz to 200 kHz and the second frequency is less than 20 kHz.

16 . A method to operate an electrical charging system to electrically charge an battery, comprising the steps of:
providing the electrical charging system which includes a power transmitter, an energy coupling arrangement, an electrical signal shaping device in which an electrical signal shaping device includes a controller, and the energy coupling arrangement includes a first inductive coil and a second inductive coil, and the first inductive coil is in electrical communication with the power transmitter; electrically energizing the power transmitter of the electrical charging system so that the first inductive coil includes energy; aligning the second inductive coil of the energy coupling arrangement in relation to the first inductive coil so that the second inductive coil is configured to receive the energy wirelessly transmitted from the first inductive coil; receiving at least a portion of the energy wirelessly transmitted from the first inductive coil by the second inductive coil; electrically shaping the portion of the received energy by the electrical signal shaping device to produce an electrical current configured to electrically charge the battery; and electrically transmitting an electrical charging current to the battery by the electrical signal shaping device to electrically charge the battery.

17 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein at least a portion of the electrical charging system is disposed on a vehicle that includes the second inductive coil and the electrical signal shaping device, and the electrical charging system further includes an alignment means, and the alignment means includes a wheel chock, and wherein the step of aligning the first inductive coil with the second inductive coil further includes the sub-steps of:
positioning the wheel chock in a manner so that the vehicle is configured to contact the wheel chock; and positioning the vehicle so that when at least one tire of the vehicle contacts the wheel chock, at least a portion of the on-vehicle inductive coil overlies at least a portion of an off-vehicle inductive coil.

18 . The method according to claim 16 , wherein the step of aligning the second inductive coil of the energy coupling arrangement in relation to the first inductive coil further includes the sub-steps of:
moving a vehicle towards a wheel chock, detecting left or right side tire displacement of the vehicle by a driver of the vehicle and making further tire adjust

Assignees

• Delphi Tech Inc

Inventors

• Boyer Richard J
• Pasha Kerry White
• Pasha Brian D
• Fuzo John Victor

Classifications

• H02J2105/37

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

• H02J7/485

  with provisions for charging different types of batteries · CPC title

• H02J7/44

  between battery management systems and power sources · CPC title

• B60L53/126

  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 title

• B60L53/665

  Methods related to measuring, billing or payment · CPC title