Multi power sourced electricvehicle

Multi-powered electric vehicle {MULTI POWER SOURCED ELECTRIC VEHICLE}

The present invention relates to an inductive power transfer (IPT) pad, system, method and means for charging a battery of an electric vehicle using multiple power sources, and to an electric vehicle being charged by the battery. More particularly, the present invention relates to charging a battery for an electric vehicle by selectively using a high power source for fast charging or a low power source for slow charging.

In the development of pure electric vehicles (ie, vehicles that are only charged by electricity as opposed to hybrid vehicles), there are several problems to be solved in order to popularize these vehicles. These electric vehicles have a limited effective distance compared to conventional fuel vehicles, have the inconvenience of remembering to charge the vehicle (even if it is possible to charge it at the user's home), and may It has serious limitations. These problems are receiving more and more attention as interest in global warming has recently increased. Pure electric vehicles can play a role in reducing global warming because it is certain that they are the lowest polluter of all types of vehicles, and have a lower carbon footprint than cars powered by more widely used conventional means. It can be operated as 'emissions'.

Many of the problems with electric vehicles stem from the batteries used to store energy to power the vehicle. It is clear that virtually all types of batteries are charged at a charge rate lower than the allowable charge rate, the battery has a finite capacity, and its lifespan is not long. Therefore, charging a car takes a significant amount of time, the time interval between charging and charging is shorter than expected, and the battery's ability to rapidly decrease over time.

However, in terms of use, electric vehicles are very convenient and suitable as a means of shopping and short-distance commuting. It is also very suitable for other tasks such as taking children to school and running errands. If the accumulated distance traveled during the day is within the effective range of the electric vehicle, the battery is charged overnight, enough to continue working the next day. This is an ideal scenario. However, if the usable effective range is exceeded or the battery is not sufficiently charged, drivers and passengers can be left stranded, recovery costs can be expensive, and the battery needs to be fully charged for longer than conventional charging cycles. In the case of using conventional batteries, it is clear that most of these batteries are of poor quality and their allowable charge rate is permanently reduced than before. Charging opportunities can help solve this problem, and you can partially charge your car whenever the opportunity arises.

In more serious situations, such as in the case of a vehicle that needs to go on a long trip, there is little you can do. Hybrid cars can be a good solution here, as they can travel long distances on fossil fuels and refuel at conventional gas stations.

For this reason, the conventional pure electric vehicle cannot satisfy all modern demands for passenger transport vehicles.

Inductive power transfer (IPT) offers a more useful alternative to conventional charging. A charger using IPT is described in New Zealand Patent Application No. 545664 entitled "Single Phase Power Supply for Inductively Coupled Power Transfer System", which in this application will be cited by reference. This charger offers many advantages in that it can be operated from a standard single-phase supply normally available at home, has a good power factor, and has very low harmonics. As a result, it is possible to combine and operate thousands of such chargers on a single public power grid without compromising the quality of the power supply. In addition, IPT eliminates the need for users to manually couple cables to the battery.

<p>It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved inductive power transfer (IPT) pad.</p><p>SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle charging means that solves the above-mentioned problems related to the conventional electric vehicle.</p><p>It is an optional object of the present invention to provide a system for charging an electric vehicle.</p><p>It is an optional object of the present invention to provide a method for charging an electric vehicle.</p><p>*An optional object of the present invention is to provide at least a practical alternative.</p>

<p>According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a coil comprising: a coil having a conductor having at least one rotation; one or more ferromagnetic slabs; An inductive power transfer (IPT) pad is provided, comprising a protective member disposed around both a coil and a ferromagnetic slab for channeling electromagnetic flux in use.</p><p>Preferably, the conductor is a Litz wire.</p><p>Preferably, the coil comprises a wire that has been rotated a plurality of times.</p><p>Preferably, the ferromagnetic slab is a one-piece slab.</p><p>Preferably, the ferromagnetic slab is a ferrite slab.</p><p>Preferably, each of said ferromagnetic slabs is substantially coplanar.</p><p>Preferably, each of said ferromagnetic slabs is spaced apart while extending radially from a common point in length.</p><p>Preferably, each of said ferromagnetic slabs is disposed at substantially equal angles from an adjacent slab.</p><p>According to a preferred embodiment, the IPT pad comprises eight ferromagnetic slabs disposed approximately 45° apart from an adjacent slab. Other configurations may be selected according to the requirements of the system.</p><p>Optionally, in another embodiment, the IPT pad comprises a plurality of ferromagnetic slabs, some of the ferromagnetic slabs extending radially from a common point but spaced apart from each other, and some of the other ferromagnetic slabs extending radially from another common point but are spaced apart from each other, some of the other ferromagnetic slabs are aligned perpendicular to the direction of an imaginary straight line connecting the common points, and the additional ferromagnetic slabs are arranged at the same distance from the imaginary straight line while imagining a straight line It is equally arranged along the length of the imaginary straight line, and is equally arranged on each side of the virtual straight line.</p><p>Preferably, the coil is arranged in a plane substantially parallel to the ferromagnetic slab.</p><p>Preferably, in the center of the length of each of the slabs, the coil is wound around the common point so that the coil passes through each of the slabs.</p><p>Advantageously, said IPT pad comprises a substantially rigid back plate.</p><p>Preferably, the back plate is substantially planar.</p><p>Preferably, the plane of the back plate is substantially parallel to the plane of the ferromagnetic slab and the coil, and the plane of the slabs is located between the plane of the back plate and the plane of the coil.</p><p>Preferably, each of the ferromagnetic slabs is disposed spaced apart from the back plate by a material that is both a thermal conductor and a mechanical insulator to transfer heat between the ferromagnetic slabs and to protect the slab from mechanical impact. According to one embodiment, each of the slabs may be spaced apart from the back plate using a foam or rubber pad. Since the material constituting the slabs is brittle, the materials serve to prevent the slabs from breaking due to rapid temperature changes and mechanical stress applied to the IPT pad.</p><p>According to a preferred embodiment, the back plate is formed of a material that substantially blocks the magnetic flux path therethrough. In one embodiment, the material is aluminum.</p><p>Preferably, the protection member is formed as a strip member having ends connected to form a ring.</p><p>Preferably, the protective member is formed of aluminum.</p><p>Preferably, the protection member is coupled to the back plate.</p><p>Preferably, the IPT pad comprises a member having spaces formed for holding the ferromagnetic slabs and a channel for receiving the coil.</p><p>Preferably, the member is formed of materials that are substantially impervious to magnetic flux. In one embodiment, foam or rubber is used.</p><p>Preferably, the member is made by a molding process.</p><p>Preferably, the IPT pad includes a back plate formed of a material substantially permeable to magnetic flux. In one embodiment, the material is a non-toxic plastic.</p><p>According to a preferred embodiment, the cover plate and the back plate provide a front wall and a back wall to the IPT pad, and the protection member provides a side wall, and preferably, the protection member has a structure extending from the back plate to the cover plate. .</p><p>The IPT pad according to the first aspect improves the use performance by channeling the magnetic flux from the charging pad. More specifically, the back plate and the protection member are parallel to the back plate plane while directing the magnetic flux upward with a slight inclination in the plane of the back plate. This not only improves the inductive connection, but also reduces the probability that any undesirable object will jam into the field during use. It is important that the leakage of the magnetic flux, if not controlled, will damage the object. In the case of electric vehicles, for example, this leakage results in corrosion of the wheel bearings.</p><p>In addition, the IPT pad in the present invention is advantageous in that it has a relatively slim line compared to the conventional IPT pickup. This becomes particularly important when the pickup pad is mated to the underside of the vehicle, as it is important to maintain its clearance from the floor.</p><p>According to a second aspect, there is provided an inductive power transmission system comprising two inductive power transmission pads, wherein the two inductive power transmission pads are used in combination, one as a pickup pad and the other as a charging pad. do.</p><p>Preferably, the charging pad may be coupled to a power supply and inductively transmit power to a pickup pad which may be coupled to a load such as a battery.</p><p>According to a third aspect, there is provided an apparatus for charging a battery of an electric or hybrid vehicle, the apparatus comprising a first means for selectively coupling a battery to a high power supply and a second means for selectively coupling a battery to a low power supply wherein the second means for coupling comprises a pickup pad electrically coupled to the battery, wherein power is transferred by inductive power transfer from the charging pad to the pickup pad.</p><p>Advantageously, said first means for coupling comprises a socket electrically coupled to a battery and power is transmitted by plugging a cable coupled to a high power electrical source into said socket. Thus, electrical energy can be transferred to the battery quickly and fast charging can be achieved using the first means for coupling.</p><p>As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the first means for selectively engaging comprises a plug electrically coupled to the battery and power is transmitted by plugging the plug into a socket connected to a cable connected to a high power source of electricity. .</p><p>Preferably, said second means for engagement comprises a pickup pad according to the first aspect of the invention.</p><p>The use of IPT eliminates the need for users to plug in cables for charging, including when a car is parked overnight. If desired, additionally or alternatively, a second socket may be provided or a first socket may be applied so that the battery can be coupled to a low power supply using a cable. Again, optionally, the second socket may be replaced with a plug configured to fit the socket connected to the low power supply. This embodiment provides increased flexibility in that the battery can be charged using IPT once ready and time permitting. When fast charging is required and a high power source is available, the battery can be coupled to the high power source. However, there are times when it is necessary to charge the battery where neither IPT charging pads nor high power sources are available. The user can, if possible, possibly put the charging pad inside the vehicle so that it can be transported to the vehicle, so that it can be removed from the vehicle if necessary and properly positioned and used for charging. Embodiments of the present invention involving IPT are possible, preferably because they operate at commonly used household voltages, but this is very inconvenient.</p><p>Thus, the second socket is preferably provided on the exterior surface of the vehicle and enables coupling of the battery via a cable to a low power supply, such as via a conventional domestic socket. According to a preferred embodiment, a socket used to couple to a high power supply may also be used to couple to a low power supply. Thus, it is possible to charge the battery through most household circuits, provided there is only a cable that can be carried in the vehicle.</p><p>Thus, the user can selectively couple the battery to either a high power supply or a low power supply, depending on the requirements and what types of power supply and transmission types are possible. Preferably the IPT can be used to transmit power from a low power supply.</p><p>Preferably, the transmit power of the high power source is between 10 kw and 500 kw. </p><p>Preferably, the transmit power of the low power supply is between 0.5 kw and 2.5 kw so that it can be provided by conventional household wires. More preferably, the transmit power of the low power supply is between 1.0 kw and 2.2 kw.</p><p>Throughout the specification, the term "battery" is not used in a limiting sense and may include one or more multiple cells, batteries, or supercapacitors.</p><p>Preferably, the battery charging device includes display means for indicating the alignment of the charging pad and the pickup pad.</p><p>Preferably, the device comprises indication means for indicating when the battery is to be charged.</p><p>According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an electric vehicle comprising a rechargeable battery and the device of the third aspect for charging the rechargeable battery.</p><p>An electric vehicle may be a "pure electric vehicle" in that it can only be charged by electrical energy. However, the present invention is not limited thereto and may be a hybrid vehicle that can be charged by one or more other energy sources such as electrical energy and combustible fuel. Accordingly, an "electric vehicle" referred to herein includes both a pure electric vehicle and a hybrid vehicle using electric energy as one energy source.</p><p>According to a fifth aspect according to the present invention, there is provided a method for charging a battery of an electric or hybrid electric vehicle, the method comprising selectively coupling a battery to a high power source or a low power source, and connecting the battery to a low power source Coupling includes placing an inductive power transfer pickup pad electrically coupled to the battery proximate and proximate the inductive power transfer charging pad.</p><p>Preferably, coupling the battery to the high power source comprises fitting a plug to a socket, wherein the plug is connected to one of the battery and the high power source, and the socket is connected to the other of the battery and the high power source. .</p><p>More preferably, the pickup pad is coupled to the underside of the vehicle, and the charging pad is provided above the ground. Optionally coupling the battery to the low power supply includes driving the vehicle to position the pickup pad over the charging pad or operably proximate the charging pad.</p><p>Preferably, each of the charging pad and the pickup pad may have a variable distance from each other. The charging pad may be raised or lowered from the ground by means of raising and lowering. Optionally, the pickup pad can be raised or lowered from the underside of the vehicle by means of raising and lowering.</p><p>Advantageously, the method of charging the battery may include indicating an alignment between the charging pad and the pickup pad.</p><p>Advantageously, the battery charging method may comprise indicating when the battery will be charged.</p><p>Placing an IPT pickup pad on the underside of a vehicle is desirable for aesthetic reasons. In this arrangement, there are no physical obstructions moving around the car while the car is charging, and no people or extraterrestrial objects can intervene during charging. However, the present invention is not limited to this arrangement. With the charging pad mounted, the pickup pad can be placed essentially anywhere on the car. As a result, IPT transmission becomes possible when the vehicle is parked at the location where the charging pad is mounted. For example, with the charging pad mounted on the wall of the garage, the pickup pad may be provided on the front or back of the vehicle, so that the charging pad and the pickup pad may be inductively connected when the vehicle is parked. Although undesirable, the present invention does not preclude movably or armature installation of the pickup pad and/or charging pad, as the user may need to make adjustments, and after parking the car the user can transmit the IPT You can move one or all of the pads to make this possible. It has the disadvantage that it requires a lot of user adjustment, but in such an embodiment the car parking point can have a larger tolerance.</p><p>According to a sixth aspect, there is provided a battery charging system for an electric or hybrid electric vehicle, the system comprising: an electric power grid or sub-network having at least one generator; a cable for transmitting energy generated by at least one generator around the power grid; IPT coupling means for coupling the battery to the power grid; control means for controlling the transmission of power from the at least one generator to the battery.</p><p>Preferably, the power grid is coupled to a plurality of batteries corresponding to a plurality of electric or hybrid electric vehicles.</p><p>Any energy source may be used by the generator(s) to generate electrical energy. However, according to a preferred embodiment, a renewable energy source is used. Through the use of control means, it is possible to overcome problems related to the dynamic nature of the power generated from renewable energy sources. And by changing the power supplied to the battery, the stability of the grid can be enhanced so that the power demand on the grid can be better matched to the available power. According to an embodiment of the system, these advantages become more pronounced. And the power grid is coupled to a plurality of batteries corresponding to a plurality of electric or hybrid electric vehicles.</p><p>Advantageously, said control means is configured to vary the transmit power in order to optimize the load factor. Thus, the grid controller (eg, an electricity company) can change the transmit power of batteries coupled to the grid to better meet supply and demand.</p><p>According to one embodiment, the car batteries are owned by the grid controller running the grid and leased to the vehicle owner.</p><p>The system of the sixth aspect preferably comprises at least one IPT pad according to the first aspect and/or at least one battery charging device according to the third aspect and/or at least one electric vehicle according to the fourth aspect.</p><p>Preferably, said control means is controlled by a communication channel.</p><p>According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method for charging a battery of an electric or hybrid electric vehicle, the method comprising: coupling the battery to an electric power grid or a sub-grid using inductive power transmission; transmitting electrical energy to the battery through the power grid; changing the transmit power according to at least one predetermined criterion.</p><p>Preferably, the at least one predetermined criterion includes at least one of a time of day, a required level for the power grid, and a level that the power grid can supply, the criterion being particularly relevant when the energy source for the power grid is flexible. .</p><p>Preferably, the battery charging method also comprises coupling batteries of a plurality of electric vehicles to a power grid and selectively transmitting power to all or some.</p><p>Advantageously, the method of charging the battery also comprises coupling batteries of a plurality of electric vehicles to a power grid and selectively transmitting power to all or some of the batteries.</p><p>Advantageously, the method of charging the battery comprises changing the electrical mains frequency to determine the battery load of the power grid.</p><p>According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for supplying electric power to an electric power grid, the system comprising: an electric power grid or sub-grid having at least one generator; a plurality of batteries of a plurality of electric or electric hybrid vehicles; a cable for transmitting energy stored in the plurality of batteries; IPT coupling means for coupling the batteries to the power grid; and control means for controlling transmission power from the plurality of batteries to the power grid.</p><p>According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of supplying power to an electric power grid, the method comprising the steps of: coupling a plurality of batteries of a plurality of electric or hybrid electric vehicles to an electric power grid using inductive power transmission; transmitting electrical energy from the batteries to a power grid; changing the transmit power according to at least one predetermined criterion.</p><p>According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for controlling a load demand of an electric power grid, the system comprising an electric power grid having at least one generator; The frequency of power supplied by the power grid can be varied; one or more loads coupled to the power grid; and control means for monitoring a frequency of power supplied by the power grid, wherein the control means increases or decreases the power consumed in the load depending on the frequency.</p><p>According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, a method of controlling a load demand on an electric power grid is provided. The method includes the steps of changing a frequency of power supplied by a power grid; monitoring a power frequency supplied by the power grid; and increasing or decreasing the power consumed by the load according to the frequency.</p>

<p>According to the present invention, power that has passed the peak can be used efficiently and stably for charging an electric vehicle. In addition, according to the present invention, energy generated from renewable energy sources can be conveniently used to charge electric vehicles. Furthermore, the present invention makes it possible to control the load requirements.</p><p>Additional aspects of the present invention are to be considered by all novel aspects, and one or more examples of practical application of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description.</p><p>One or more embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the following drawings. The drawings are illustrative only and not limiting.</p>

1 is a perspective view showing a preferred relative arrangement of an IPT charging pad and an electric vehicle during charging; 2 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of an IPT pad. 3 to 5 are views of a pad alternative to the IPT pad of FIG. 2, in which FIGS. 3 and 5 are shown partially removed, and FIG. 4 is shown in part in imaginary outlines to show details of the interior; is a perspective view. 5A is a diagram illustrating an alternative embodiment of an IPT pad structure. 5B is a plan view of an alternative embodiment of the IPT pad of FIG. 5A; 6 is a diagram schematically illustrating an electric vehicle to be charged according to an embodiment of the present invention. 7 is a diagram schematically showing an embodiment of a system according to the present invention;

An embodiment of the present invention provides a multi-source electric vehicle that can be operated in most situations that may occur in terms of type, distance and frequency of movement. With reference to "multi-source electric vehicles", batteries and/or cells used to power a vehicle are charged using a variety of electrical power sources. According to an embodiment of the present invention, all the advantages of a plug-in electric vehicle are provided in that the vehicle can be charged overnight 'at home', and according to a more preferred embodiment the disadvantages associated with plugging in cables are eliminated. . More specifically, according to a preferred embodiment, the charging pad is provided on a floor where a vehicle is normally parked, such as in particular on the floor of a user's garage. While the vehicle is parked, the charging pad transfers energy to the vehicle's battery by inductive power transfer (IPT) via a pickup provided on the underside of the vehicle. With nothing plugged in, it can be fully charged only depending on the amount of time it can be used without considering anything else.

A charging pad provided on the floor is charged by a power source and the magnetic field generated thereby couples the power into a pickup attached to the car to charge the battery in the car. Power transmission of up to approximately 2.2kw is possible at the household output in most public power grids. This control of transmit power may be achieved using the techniques described in US Pat. No. 5,293,308, which is incorporated herein by reference. Other methods are also within the scope of the present invention.

1 shows a preferred relative arrangement of a charging pad 20 and a vehicle 10 during charging. The pickup pad (not shown) preferably has the same structure as the charging pad 20 , and is disposed on the underside of the vehicle, so that when the vehicle 10 is parked, it is usually placed directly on the charging pad 20 . The magnetic flux generated by the charging pad 20 connects the two pads. Although it is not functionally required for the pickup pad to be disposed on the underside of the vehicle, it is preferable for aesthetic reasons and because it is relatively convenient for retrofitting and installing the vehicle.

2-5 show alternative perspective views of a charging pad 20 according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. More specifically, Fig. 2 shows the outer housing of the pad, Fig. 3 shows the outer housing partially cut and removed to show the inner details, and Fig. 4 shows the parts corresponding to Fig. 3 showing the outer features. A perspective view is shown to show additional details of the inner arrangement of the pads, and FIG. 5 is a view showing the pad with the top cover removed. The pickup pad has the same structure as the charging pad 20 . And the description of the charging pad 20 is, except that the charging pad 20 is coupled to an electrical source (eg, the main electrical supply) and the pickup pad is coupled to a load (ie, charging the vehicle battery). , also applies to pickup pads.

The pads 20 preferably include a metal back plate 21 (made of aluminum in a preferred embodiment) having eight ferrite bars 22 spaced apart from each other at an angle of 45° to each other. It is placed on an object formed of a material that substantially confines the path of magnetic flux. The bars 22 are fixed in place by means of rubber moldings 23 . The coil of the Litz wire 27 is coupled by magnetic flux passing through the ferrite bars 22 (refer to FIG. 5 ). Preferably, the coil of Litz wire 27 is a ferrite bar in region 24 of pad 20 such that the coil is wound approximately halfway around the generally circular body of the pad along the length of the bars 22. (22) is located above. An aluminum strip 25 is coupled to or integrally formed with the back plate 21 to assist and control the pattern of the generated magnetic flux. A cover 28 is coupled to the top of the main circular body of the pad. The cover 28 is formed of a material such as PVC or preferably non-toxic plastic so as not to block the path of the passing magnetic flux. The specific structure shown enables the pad to be formed in a relatively slim line, which is important in the case of improving an existing automobile for a pickup pad because the slim line can maintain a ground clearance.

More specifically, the back plate 21 and the strip 25 are suitably adapted to work together to control the magnetic flux generated through the cover 28 in a direction generally perpendicular to the back plate 21 . are combined Accordingly, the magnetic flux generally has a slight inclination and becomes parallel to the plane of the back plate 21, resulting in a slight leakage, which improves the coupling between the charging pad and the pickup pad. The back plate 21 and the strip 25 are electrically connected in one embodiment of the present invention.

Mechanical or impact insulating pad 26 is preferably formed of foam or rubber and prevents bar 22 from coming into contact with other components of pad 20 . Since the bars 22 are brittle and thermally sensitive, the pads 26 are also ideally a heat conductor to keep the bars 22 cool. The mechanical insulation pad 26 also prevents transmission of mechanical stress generated in the bar 22 by a blow or impact on the pad 20 and vibration generated when the pad 20 is mounted in a vehicle.

Lateral misalignment up to +/-50mm and vertical separation from 25mm to 75mm are easily achieved using a pad with a structure as shown in the figure, with a diameter of 400mm and a thickness of 22mm and a transmit power of up to 2kw. Although it is possible to have the transmit power consistently large tolerances, this requires large pads and increases cost. If a charging pad is provided on the floor to engage the pickup pad on the underside of the vehicle, these tolerances are described as tolerances for the parking position of the vehicle. A relatively simple method can be used to assist the driver in parking in an appropriate location. For example, if a ball is hung from the ceiling on a string and the car is positioned correctly, it can be aligned to a point on the windshield.

Optionally, a charge indicator may be provided on the vehicle and illuminate when the battery is charging so that the vehicle is in the correct position. It is apparent that other alternatives may be prepared by those skilled in the art, and all such alternatives are within the scope of the present invention.

According to a preferred embodiment with a transmission speed of up to approximately 2 kw, the bars 22 are preferably 10 mm high, 30 mm wide and 120 mm long, and the coil 27 is preferably 3.77 mm.²or more 120 strands of wires individually insulated to include a Litz wire having a diameter of 0.2 mm. Strip 25 preferably has a thickness of approximately 4 mm and cover 28 preferably has a thickness of approximately 5 mm. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to these specific values and that other values may be selected depending on the desired operating characteristics.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, in the conventional IPT system, the power pad on the floor under the vehicle occupies a 'track', and the power pad is attached to the pickup coil to be located under the vehicle. Using the technology referred to in the aforementioned New Zealand Patent Application No. 545664, the arrangement of these coils transfers power from the floor power pad to the car's power pad with high efficiency so that the car's battery is charged overnight.

In embodiments of the IPT system, it is possible to charge an electric vehicle not only for one vehicle at home, but also for, for example, several delivery vehicles, all vehicles, etc., and if the work schedule includes a relatively long time schedule, the vehicle When the car is parked on a floor equipped with a power pad, continuous operation of the 24×7 system is possible. However, when the total energy demand exceeds the available stored energy, a typical charging power of 2 kw does not overcome the problem of the limited effective distance of the electric vehicle.

To solve this problem, a high-power, plug-in charger can be coupled to the vehicle using a detachable high-power plug to provide fast charging of the battery. Not all types of batteries can accommodate the expected size of power, but lithium batteries are increasingly making it possible to do so.

As mentioned above, the power pad intervention-free charger is a home-based IPT charging system in which charging power is provided at approximately 2 kw, so as to be in the range of transmission speeds of conventional household wires. Since a typical battery in an electric vehicle can store 170 AH (ampere-hour) with 50 kwh of energy or 300 V, the nominal charging power will be 0.04 C (where C is based on the battery capacity of AH). It is preserved and measured reliably. On a single charge of 12 hours, 24 kwh of energy is transferred and if the car is operated with an average power demand of 10 kw, it can be driven within a range of about 2 hours or 160 km per day. If the car is fully charged with a longer charging time, this number will double. Meanwhile, in the embodiment of the high-power battery charger, energy is provided at a transmission power of 10 kw to 500 kw for 6 minutes corresponding to a charging rate of 10 C. So in 6 minutes, the battery can be fully charged and the car can go another 300 km without having to recharge it. It can be seen that the electric energy transfer rate of 500 kw is very fast, but it is still low compared to the energy transfer rate when gasoline or diesel fuel is refueled in a tank.

In such a quick charge, it needs to be managed as carefully as is necessary when refueling gasoline. And it is not suitable for home use for a number of reasons. Few households have access to a 500 kW public power grid, at this power level, the supply can get higher voltages than commonly available power grids. Commercially designated facilities are also required because they are included in the hazard class. In contrast, IPT systems are safe, easy to use, and suitable for installation in homes or other places where cars are parked, such as public parking lots.

The combination of these technologies provides an automobile having excellent characteristics. On a daily basis, it is ideal for sports travel, commuting and shopping, and can typically travel 160km/day at a relatively low cost with minimal refueling and no refueling. It needs to be recharged approximately every 300 km for use on long trips.

5a and 5b show an alternative embodiment of a structure 20 of a charging pad according to the present invention. Also in 5a and 5b, the pad 20 has an elliptical plane. The elliptical power pad may be constructed by extending the circular power pad and adding a square area to the center. Preferably, both power pads have the same structure. Figure 5b shows that the length of the coil 27 is increased and additional ferrite or ferromagnetic bars 22a are added at a spacing similar to the spacing of the bars in the circular power pad mentioned above.

The advantage of this elliptical arrangement is that the tolerance for lateral movement of the pad (shown in the x direction in FIG. 5A ) is improved compared to a circular pad. This is preferable when the vehicle is moving in a side-by-side direction, since it is relatively difficult for the vehicle to position itself in the x-direction. The tolerance of the pad for the y-direction pickup movement corresponding to the front of the vehicle and vice versa is smaller than for a circular pad when placed over the pad. However, this is less important when parking the car as it is relatively easy to adjust this direction to place it in an optimal position for the y direction on the pad.

It is also desirable to have a function of adjusting the position between the pickup pad and the charging pad attached to the vehicle. This can be done through a variety of methods. For example, means such as a jack for raising and lowering the charging pad from the floor may be included in the charging pad on the floor. The jack may be manually or electrically operated. Optionally, the pickup pad on the underside of the vehicle may comprise means for increasing or decreasing its distance from the underside of the vehicle. It may also be a jack or other known mechanism.

One of the main advantages of the system mentioned herein relates to safety. Inductive charging means, unlike alternative electric vehicle charging systems, do not have a plug connection between the charger and the vehicle. If the user accidentally drives the car away while still connected to the plugged-in system, the device may be damaged and a dangerous situation may arise with the broken current-carrying device. In contrast, the use of an IPT system, which does not require the safe removal of any plugs in the first place, allows the vehicle to be safely driven away and free of electrical hazards without fear of damaging the device. In addition, even in the event of a flood, the IPT system can be operated safely, ensuring that the risk arising from alternative plugging systems is eliminated.

6 is a schematic diagram of a battery 51 of an electric vehicle 10 being charged by a high-power electricity supply 52 via a cable 63 . While charging, battery 51 is supplied with electricity from pickup 20 via wire 54 . The high power source 52 may include a high power generator or optionally where only an interface or conduit is provided between the high power electrical grid and the cable 53 . The cable 53 may be provided with a plug (not shown) which fits into a socket (not shown) provided on the motor vehicle 10 . A wire between the socket and the battery 51 transmits electricity to the battery 51 . Preferably, the plug is provided with a safety housing to prevent access to the electrical contacts. The socket may be provided at any point on the vehicle 10 with wiring provided between the socket and the battery 51 . Accordingly, the present invention is not limited to the position of the socket shown in FIG.

7 schematically illustrates a system, generally designated 60, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Generator 61 provides high-power electricity to device 63 comprising high-power electricity source 52 of FIG. 6 . Two high-power electricity sources 52 are shown. However, the present invention is not limited thereto and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the device 63 may include one or more several sources 52 and that the present invention is limited only to the usable space and capacity of the generator 61 . can The high power cable 62 serves as a wire for transmitting high power electricity to the device 63 and also to the transformer 64, which also reduces the high power electricity to a low power source and is therefore generally used in homes. do. The low power cable 65 then transmits low power electricity to the charging pad 20 , preferably provided to the user's garage floor. Although a single generator 61 is shown, system 60 may include a plurality of generators and may include separate generators for a high power supply and a low power supply.

An important aspect of an electric vehicle is its cost of expenditure. In general, since the price of the battery is high, the price of the electric vehicle is higher than that of the conventional motor vehicle. However, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the battery and the vehicle may be owned by another entity. More specifically, according to a system and an embodiment according to the present invention, the battery may be owned by a power utility company and leased to a vehicle owner. According to this embodiment, there is an advantage that the user of the electric vehicle can reduce the cost paid at the moment of purchasing the vehicle. However, these benefits may be perceived by the utility company and through payment of electricity bills. In particular, by properly controlling the power supplied by the IPT charging pad, utility companies can measure the electrical load, especially during the night when a large number of batteries in electric vehicles are being charged.

By making certain changes to the electrical system, it is also possible to transfer power from the battery to the facility in the opposite direction. According to this method, when the power used by the power facility reaches a peak, power can be received from the vehicle battery and used to supply the peak power for use. Power supply in this opposite direction will also be very large if there are many vehicles, so power shortage can be avoided. The shorter the time during which the power flow in the opposite direction occurs, the smaller the total energy.

It is a great financial advantage to say that a power business company can have a load factor of one. it becomes possible to do

A communication channel can be provided during charging between the grid controller (generally the power utility company) and the automobiles so that it becomes possible to monitor the charging of these automobiles. A simple cell-phone channel may be used for this purpose. As the available power changes, the grid controller can adapt the battery charging needs accordingly. This allows utility companies to change the load on electric vehicles very quickly, allowing them to safely operate near their full power. This is generally similar to a ripple control system that can be used to heat hot water, but can be more sophisticated. The fundamental difference is that partial loading is possible, and loading can be changed more quickly and precisely.

The ability to adjust the load demand makes it easier to integrate highly flexible 'renewable' energy sources into the electrical grid. The adjustment may alternatively be made by changing the power grid frequency or grid to respond to changes in changing energy sources. Accordingly, the power surge across the entire wind power plant due to the strong gust of wind can be increased by even a small fraction of 1 Hz in the main frequency. This oscillation in frequency is measured by the power supply to the IPT charging pad and used to control the power pad or track current. In particular, since the delivered power is made proportional to the pad current, it can be tailored to the power available to the charging load by varying the pad current. The change may occur as short as one cycle period of the main power.

For a large number of battery chargers, such as 100,000 for example, the pad current can be programmed to zero at 49.5 Hz and the pad current to its maximum rated current at 1 Hz higher frequencies. If all chargers are in peak demand, the charging load can change from 100,000×2kw=200MW at 50.5Hz frequency to zero at 49.5Hz frequency. Of course, the 49.5 Hz setpoint can be varied so that maximum power can be generated at any desired frequency. For example, if the setpoint is 49 Hz, the maximum power may be taken at 50 Hz or higher. In this way, high surges in power caused by strong gusts over large wind power plants can be compensated.

On the other hand, in coupling wind power to the power grid, there is also generally a cycle in which the wind completely 'dies'. In particular, in such a cycle, it can be covered by providing a separate rotary generator of the same power capacity in preparation. Thus, when a 200 MW wind generator is used, a 200 MW rotating reservoir is connected to the grid, and under ideal circumstances it does not supply any real power to the grid. This method is very expensive and generally makes wind power generators uneconomical. According to the present invention, such countermeasures are not necessary. In case the wind 'dies', all battery charging loads drop as soon as the mains frequency reaches a given set point (eg 49.5 or 50 Hz). In charging cars, each car disconnects on its own as soon as the battery is fully charged, so the actual load is uncertain and not simply the total number of cars connected. The load can be determined using the vehicle's communication channel as mentioned above, but this takes time and there are simpler options available. If the set point is 49.5Hz then all connected cars that are still charging can be charged up to 50% of the power if the frequency is 50Hz. If the setpoint is charging at 49.6 Hz, then the car being charged will drop to 40% of its rated power and the change in power over the entire area can be 10% at the connected (total) power sink. In this particular embodiment, the actual power can be measured by increasing or decreasing by a factor of 4 in this variation. In summary, the controlled battery charging load can be accurately determined.

In these environments, a very high percentage of wind and/or other floating energy sources are present with no generators ready, taking into account how much power is available when the wind is dead and how much remaining sink capacity is available in the event of a surge. can be included in This is clearly desirable for most wind power plant integration designs and the rate of wind power generation will be increased by more than 6% of the rate currently used, mainly in Ireland and Germany, for example, using zero or a small number of standby generators. Other designs to achieve this flexibility use giant batteries in local wind farms to store excess power, but it is more efficient for the energy to be transferred directly in that direction, so-called car batteries, which are only in the charging action. Because it requires one battery. Thus, it is clear that batteries in wind power plants are inefficient when the ultimate use of energy is in electric vehicles.

The economic justification of the present invention is interesting. In general, if the battery price is $10.000, the car owner can be rented with an electricity charge of 12c/kwh based on what is used at $40/week. Users traveling 300km per week can put 45kwh at a cost of $5.40 plus a $40 battery rental for a total cost of $45.40 or 15c/km. In some cases, road fees may be included or electricity usage fees may be added. This cost per km is probably high, but it can be a very reasonable use, and it is clear that if the distance traveled is doubled the cost per km will be reduced to $50.80 per 600 km or 8.5c/km.

Electricity generated from renewable energy other than wind power (eg, solar power, tidal power, etc.) may also be applied to embodiments of the present invention. All of these are not particularly stable and can change a lot in a relatively short period of time, such as wind power. For example, the measured rate of change of wind power in New Zealand was 200 MW in 5 minutes from a wind power plant at a nominal rate of 200 MW. It is therefore very beneficial to integrate these highly flexible energy sources into the electrical grid. By controlling the side of the energy source as planned, small changes in the supply frequency can be used to change the charging load at a rate well-matched to the floating power almost every cycle, using energy that would otherwise be simply wasted. This energy can be generated at a significantly lower cost compared to more common electricity sources.

Accordingly, the present invention can efficiently and stably use the power that has passed the peak for charging the electric vehicle. The present invention also enables energy generated from renewable energy sources to be conveniently used to charge electric vehicles. Furthermore, the present invention makes it possible to control the load requirements.

Throughout the specification, the terms "comprises" and "comprises" are to be understood in an inclusive sense, as opposed to an exclusive or exclusive sense, unless the context clearly requires it. In other words, it is used in the sense of "contains, but not limited to."

Various changes and modifications to the presently preferred embodiments discussed herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and adjustments do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention and can be made without diminishing the attendant advantages. Accordingly, such changes and adjustments may be included in the present invention.