Pick-up apparatus for inductive power transfer systems
An Inductive Power Transfer (IPT) pick-up apparatus includes a magnetically permeable core, a first coil, being wound about the core so as to be inductive coupled therewith such that a current induced in the first coil is most sensitive to a first directional component of magnetic flux and a second coil, being wound about the core so as to be inductively coupled therewith such that a current induced in the second coil is most sensitive to a second directional component of magnetic flux. The first directional component is substantially orthogonal to the second directional component.
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More than one reissue application has been filed for the reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 7,969,269. The other reissue application is U.S. application Ser. No. 13/930,505, filed Jun. 28, 2013. This application is therefore a reissue divisional of application Ser. No. 13/930,505, which is an application for reissue of U.S. Pat. No. 7,969,269, which application claims the benefit of priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to New Zealand Patent Application No. 546955, filed May 2, 2006, all of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
FIELDThis invention relates to a power pick-up apparatus for use in an Inductive Power Transfer (IPT) system.
BACKGROUNDIn existing Inductive Power Transfer (IPT) applications using a flat pick-up on a floor or roadway, there are two pick-up geometries in common use.
The first arrangement is used with Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV's), and is sensitive to the vertical component of the magnetic flux produced by the currents in the primary conductors (commonly known as the track conductors). Ideally it sits directly above the track conductors, giving the maximum output when the pick-up coil is perfectly aligned between the track conductors. Any misalignment of the pick-up reduces the output from the pick-up coil, which falls to zero at a misalignment of roughly half of the distance between the track conductors.
The second arrangement is sensitive to the horizontal component of the flux produced by the current in the track, and gives the maximum output when the coil is directly over either one of the track conductors. The output falls to zero when the coil is approximately mid-way between the conductors.
When the IPT application is a moving vehicle, neither of these pick-up geometries is ideal as relatively small alignment errors cause the output to fall so that power to the vehicle is lost.
OBJECTIt is an object of the invention to provide an improved IPT pick-up apparatus which is less susceptible to alignment errors, or at least to provide the public with a useful choice.
SUMMARY OF INVENTIONAccordingly in one aspect the invention may broadly be said to consist in Inductive Power Transfer (IPT) pick-up apparatus including:
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- a magnetically permeable core;
- a first coil, being disposed about the core such that it is most sensitive to a first directional component of magnetic flux;
- a second coil, being disposed about the core such that it is most sensitive to a second directional component of magnetic flux; and
- wherein the first directional component is substantially orthogonal to the second directional component.
Preferably the first directional component is a vertical component of magnetic flux and the second directional component is a horizontal component of magnetic flux.
Preferably the first and second coils are wound orthogonally to each other such that one coil is most sensitive to the first directional component of magnetic flux, and the other coil is most sensitive to the second directional component of magnetic flux.
Alternatively the first coil may comprise a first pair of half-coils, and the second coil may comprise a second pair of half-coils.
Preferably the core is constructed with a flat E cross-section.
Preferably the core is constructed from a permeable ferrous material, most preferably ferrite.
Preferably each coil is independently tuned with one or more capacitors.
Preferably the apparatus includes an electrical circuit to independently rectify the current induced in each coil.
Preferably the apparatus includes an electrical circuit to sum and regulate the rectified output from the coils such that the total output power is essentially constant over a wide range of lateral movement of the apparatus relative to the source of magnetic flux.
In a further aspect the invention may broadly be said to consist in inductive power transfer pick-up apparatus including:
-
- an E-shaped core having at least three substantially parallel legs and connection regions connecting adjacent legs to each other, the connection portions having an axis which is orthogonal to axes of the legs;
- a first set of part-coils and a second set of part-coils, the first set being arranged to be sensitive to a directional component of magnetic flux substantially parallel to the axes of the legs, and the second set being arranged to be sensitive to a directional component of magnetic flux substantially parallel to the axis of the connection portions.
Preferably at least one of the part-coils of the first set and at least one of the part-coils of the second set is provided on one of the connection regions and at least one of the part-coils of each set is provided on one or more other connection portions.
Preferably one or more separate tuning capacitors are provided for each coil set.
In a further aspect the invention broadly consists in a IPT system including a pick-up as set forth in any one of the preceding statements of invention and a track having one or more primary conductors, the one or more primary conductors being capable of providing the magnetic flux.
Further aspects of the invention will become apparent form the following description.
A number of embodiments of the invention will now be described with reference to the drawings in which:
Throughout the description like reference numerals will be used to refer to like features in different embodiments.
Referring first to
Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the directional components of magnetic flux will vary dependent on the orientation of the system. For ease of description, the terms vertical and horizontal are used to describe direction in relation to examples in which the primary conductors providing the magnetic flux are laid on or in a floor, and the pick-up is designed to travel over the floor, intercepting magnetic flux generated by the conductors which are energized in the known way.
The apparatus in this embodiment comprises a core 1 having an E-shaped cross-section (preferably constructed of magnetically-permeable ferrite or a material having similar desirable magnetic properties), with three substantially parallel vertical legs and orthogonal connection regions connecting adjacent legs to each other. A core of this geometry may be referred to as a Flat E Core.
The core 1 is provided with a first coil 2 wound around a vertical axis and a second coil 3 wound around a horizontal axis of the core. The pick-up is shown positioned so that the coil is situated between the two track conductors 4 and 5 with current flowing in opposing directions, producing anticlockwise and clockwise magnetic fields, respectively. In this configuration, the current induced in the coil 2 is maximum when the coil is positioned between the two track conductors 4 and 5 (as illustrated), and drops to zero as the coil is moved directly above either of the two conductors. Conversely, the current induced in the coil 3 is maximum when the coil is positioned directly above either of the track conductors 4 or 5, and drops to zero as the coil approaches the midpoint between the two conductors. Therefore, coil 2 is most sensitive to magnetic flux in one direction (a vertical direction as shown in
Series tuning capacitors may also be provided if required for each coil to ensure that the effective short circuit current and open circuit voltage outputs of both the first and second coils can be matched, thereby ensuring a power profile that is as even as possible across the width of a track.
Typically, track conductors for floor mounted AGVs are 100 mm apart and a misalignment of the order of 25 mm will reduce the power to a level so low as to be impractical using existing circuits. However, with a pick-up such as that shown in
The number of conducting tracks may be increased to allow a wider range of motion of the pick-up, for example the use of two track circuits is shown in
The associated power profile for the two pairs of single phase tracks of
The tuning capacitors in
From the foregoing it will be seen that the pick-up apparatus increases the useful range of lateral movement while still achieving useful power outputs with little change or added cost to the electronic control circuitry. In at least one practical-IPT application, these circuits are particularly useful with simple single circuit tracks and typically increase the useful range of lateral movement from 50 mm to 150 mm while still achieving useful power outputs.
Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description the words “comprise”, “comprising”, and the like, are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense, that is to say, in the sense of “including, but not limited to”.
Where in the foregoing description reference has been made to specific components or integers of the invention having known equivalents, then such equivalents are herein incorporated as if individually set forth.
Although this invention has been described by way of example and with reference to possible embodiments thereof, it is to be understood that modifications or improvements may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention.
Claims
1. An Inductive Power Transfer (IPT) pick-up apparatus comprising:
- a magnetically permeable core;
- a first coil, being wound about the core so as to be inductive coupled therewith such that a current induced in the first coil is most sensitive to a first directional component of magnetic flux; and
- a second coil, being wound about the core so as to be inductively coupled therewith such that a current induced in the second coil is most sensitive to a second directional component of magnetic flux;
- wherein the first directional component is substantially orthogonal to the second directional component.
2. An IPT pick-up apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first directional component is a vertical component of magnetic flux and the second directional component is a horizontal component of magnetic flux.
3. An IPT pick-up apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first and second coils are wound orthogonally to each other such that the current induced in one coil is most sensitive to the first directional component of magnetic flux, and the current induced in the other coil is most sensitive to the second directional component of magnetic flux.
4. An IPT pick-up apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first coil comprises a first pair of half-coils, and the second coil comprises a second pair of half-coils.
5. An IPT pick-up apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the core is constructed with a flat E cross-section.
6. An IPT pick-up apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the core is constructed from a permeable ferrous material such as ferrite.
7. An IPT pick-up apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein each coil is independently tuned with one or more capacitors.
8. An IPT pick-up apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises an electrical circuit to independently rectify the current induced in each coil.
9. An IPT pick-up apparatus as claimed in claim 1, wherein the apparatus comprises an electrical circuit to sum and regulate the rectified output from the coils such that the total output power is essentially constant over a wide range of lateral movement of the apparatus relative to the source of magnetic flux.
10. An Inductive Power Transfer (IPT) pick-up apparatus comprising:
- a magnetically permeable E-shaped core having at least three substantially parallel legs and connection regions connecting adjacent legs to each other, the connection regions having an axis which is orthogonal to the axes of the legs;
- a first set of part-coils and a second set of part-coils each wound about the core so as to be inductively coupled therewith, the first set being arranged such that the current induced therein is most sensitive to a directional component of magnetic flux substantially parallel to the axes of the legs, and the second set being arranged to be sensitive to a directional component of magnetic flux substantially parallel to the axis of the connection portions.
11. An IPT pick-up apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein at least one of the part-coils of the first set and at least one of the part-coils of the second set is provided on one of the connection regions and at least one of the part-coils of each set is provided on one or more other connection regions.
12. An IPT pick-up apparatus as claimed in claim 10, wherein one or more separate tuning capacitors are provided for each coil set.
13. An Inductive Power Transfer (IPT) pick-up apparatus comprising:
- a magnetically permeable core;
- a first coil, being wound about the core so as to be inductive coupled therewith such that a current induced in the first coil is most sensitive to a first directional component of magnetic flux;
- a second coil, being wound about the core so as to be inductively coupled therewith such that a current induced in the second coil is most sensitive to a second directional component of magnetic flux; and
- a track having one or more primary conductors, the one or more primary conductors being capable of providing the magnetic flux;
- wherein the first directional component is substantially orthogonal to the second directional component.
14. An Inductive Power Transfer (IPT) pick-up apparatus comprising:
- a magnetically permeable E-shaped core having at least three substantially parallel legs and connection regions connecting adjacent legs to each other, the connection regions having an axis which is orthogonal to the axes of the legs;
- a first set of part-coils and a second set of part-coils each wound about the core so as to be inductively coupled therewith, the first set being arranged such that the current induced therein is most sensitive to a directional component of magnetic flux substantially parallel to the axes of the legs, and the second set being arranged to be sensitive to a directional component of magnetic flux substantially parallel to the axis of the connection portions; and
- a track having one or more primary conductors, the one or more primary conductors being capable of providing the magnetic flux.
15. An inductive power transfer apparatus comprising:
- a tuned multiple coil inductive power pick-up, the pick-up including a first tuned coil and a second tuned coil, wherein: a current induced in the first tuned coil being most sensitive to a first directional component of magnetic flux generated by a first track segment configured to generate a corresponding anticlockwise magnetic field in response to current flowing in a first direction through the first track; and a current induced in the second tuned coil being most sensitive to a second directional component of magnetic flux generated by a second track segment configured to generate a corresponding clockwise magnetic field in response to current flowing in a second direction through the second track segment, the second direction opposite from the first direction; and
- an electrical circuit configured to sum and regulate the currents induced in the first and second tuned coils to provide a substantially constant total power output over a range of lateral movement of the pick-up without requiring a battery, the range including at least a first pick-up position over the first track to a third pick-up position over a third track;
- wherein: the third track segment is configured to generate a corresponding anticlockwise magnetic field in response to current flowing in the first direction through the third track; the first, second, and third segments are arranged substantially in a common plane such that the generated magnetic field exits between the first and second track segments and enters between the second and third track segments; and the generated magnetic field further includes the first and second directional components of magnetic flux.
16. The inductive power transfer apparatus of claim 15, further comprising a fourth track segment configured to generate a corresponding clockwise magnetic field in response to current flowing through the fourth track segment, the fourth track segment arranged substantially in a common plane with the first, second and third track segments such that the generated magnetic field further exits between the third and fourth track segments.
17. The inductive power transfer apparatus of claim 15, wherein the second track segment is arranged between the first track segment and the third track segment.
18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first, second and third track segments are configured as a single phase track system.
19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first, second and third track circuit are configured as a multi-phase track system.
20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the horizontal pick-up position range includes a lateral pick-up movement of at least 50 mm, the lateral pick-up movement being perpendicular to the first, second, and third track segments.
21. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the first and second tuned coils are each independently connected to one or more tuned capacitors.
22. The apparatus of claim 15, further comprising an electrical circuit configured to independently rectify the current induced in each of the first and second tuned coils.
23. An inductive power transfer apparatus comprising:
- a first track segment configured to generate a corresponding anticlockwise magnetic field in response to current flowing in a first direction through the first track;
- a second track segment configured to generate a corresponding clockwise magnetic field in response to current flowing in a second direction through the second track segment, the second direction opposite from the first direction;
- a third track segment configured to generate a corresponding anticlockwise magnetic field in response to current flowing in the first direction through the third track, the first, second, and third segments arranged substantially in a common plane such that the generated magnetic field exits between the first and second track segments and enters between the second and third track segments, the generated magnetic field further including first and second directional components of magnetic flux; and
- a tuned multiple coil inductive power pick-up, the pick-up including a first tuned coil and a second tuned coil, a current induced in the first tuned coil being most sensitive to the first directional component of magnetic flux, and a current induced in the second tuned coil being most sensitive to the second directional component of magnetic flux, and an electrical circuit configured to sum and regulate the currents induced in the first and second tuned coils to provide a substantially constant total power output over a range of lateral movement of the pick-up without requiring a battery, the range including at least a first pick-up position over the first track to a third pick-up position over the third track.
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Type: Grant
Filed: Oct 31, 2014
Date of Patent: May 5, 2020
Assignee: Auckland Uniservices Ltd. (Auckland)
Inventors: John Talbot Boys (Albany), Grant Anthony Covic (Mt. Albert), Grant Arthur John Elliott (Auckland)
Primary Examiner: Kenneth Whittington
Application Number: 14/529,939
International Classification: H01F 27/28 (20060101); H01F 27/30 (20060101); H01F 27/34 (20060101); H02J 50/12 (20160101); H02J 5/00 (20160101); H02J 50/10 (20160101); H02J 50/90 (20160101); H01F 38/14 (20060101); B60L 53/12 (20190101); H01F 3/00 (20060101);