Auckland Uniservices Limited

Apple Inc.

Aiguo Hu

David Mortimer Budgett

Ali Abdolkhani

Simon Charles Malpas

Stephan Helmut Hussmann

Stephan Helmut Hussman

Saining Ren

Arunim Kumar

Ho Fai Leung

Wynand L Malan

John Daniel McCormick

Ya-Ting Wang

Qi Zhu

Patrin Illenberger

Lei Zhao

Wei Zhou

Liang Huang

Zonghong Hu

Shaoge Zang

Botunga Arachchige Rajith Chaminda Abeywardana

Bo Long

Andrew R Connell

Ho Yan (Alex) Leung

Bob Wang

Ho Yan Leung

John Daniel Mccormick

A capacitive power transfer system can include a power transmitter having one or more primary side filter components, a communications modulator, and transmitter capacitive couplers; and a power receiver having receiver capacitive couplers capacitively coupled to the transmitter capacitive couplers, one or more secondary side filter components, and a communication demodulator. The one or more primary side filter components and the one or more secondary side filter components can be selected to provide power amplifier operation at a power delivery frequency and act as a stable gain high pass filter above a communications cutoff frequency that is higher than the power delivery frequency.

Capacitive power transfer system with integrated wide bandwidth communication

Metal object detection may be performed in a wireless power system by monitoring the 5th or other order harmonic current of a dual-frequency power transmitter driven by a voltage-fed inverter with square-wave output. While power transfer is maintained by tuning at the fundamental frequency, the transmitter circuit is tuned simultaneously at the 5th order frequency or other harmonic frequencies to increase or decrease the flow of the harmonic current for when a metal object is present. The receiver circuit may include a notch filter to filter out the 5th order frequency. With the dual-frequency tuning configuration, the presence of a metal object causes a significant drop of the increase in the harmonic current at the transmitter side while the receiver behaves as an open circuit with no effect on power transfer. The harmonic tuning circuit may be switched off as necessary to leave only the fundamental frequency for power transfer.

Harmonic current monitoring in a wireless power system

A wireless power transfer apparatus for capacitive-inductive power transfer has a primary and a secondary device separated by the conductive member. The primary device has at least two transmitter plates configured to be capacitively coupled with the conductive member to induce a current flow and generate a magnetic field in the conductive member. The secondary device is connectable to a load and provided with a receiving coil configured to be inductively coupled with the conductive member.

Wireless power transfer apparatus for wirelessly transferring power across an electrically conductive member

An inductive power transmitter comprising a plurality of autonomous resonant inverters, wherein each inverter outputs a voltage to a respective transmitter coil/coils for inductive power transfer; and a magnetic coupling structure between the respective transmitter coils, wherein the magnetic coupling structure is configured to determine a phase shift between the output voltage of each inverter.

Inverter for inductive power transmitter

An inductive power transmitter having a plurality of transmitting coils for generating an alternating magnetic field arranged in a row with each transmitting coil partially overlapping with adjacent transmitting coils in the row. A transmitting circuit connected to each transmitting coil may drive the transmitting coils so that each transmitting coil's alternating magnetic field is phase shifted with respect to the alternating magnetic field of adjacent transmitting coils in the row or so that the alternating magnetic field generated by the transmitting coils travels along a charging surface.

Transmitter for inductive power transfer systems

An inductive power transfer coil assembly including: a magnetically permeable core including a base having a pair of spaced apart limbs extending therefrom; and a winding located between and above the pair of spaced apart limbs.

Magnetically permeable core and an inductive power transfer coil arrangement

An inductive power transfer coil arrangement comprising: a first coil assembly including: at least a first magnetically permeable core including a base having first and second limbs extending away therefrom, wherein the first limb is located between two second limbs and extends further from the base than the second limbs, and at least one coil wound about at least one limb; and a second coil assembly including: at least a second magnetically permeable core for use in an inductive power transfer system, including a base having first and second limbs extending away therefrom, wherein the first limb is located between two second limbs that extend further from the base than the second limbs; and at least one coil wound about at least one limb; the first and second magnetically permeable cores being arranged in relatively moveable relationship such that in some relative positions the first and second magnetically permeable cores are opposed such as to provide effective magnetic coupling.

Magnetically permeable core and inductive power transfer coil arrangement

An inductively powered sensor system includes a primary conductive pathcapable of being energised to provide an electromagnetic field in a defined space. An inductive power pick-upis associated with a sensorand is capable of receiving power from the field to supply the sensor. The system includes a first sensing means to sense the power available to the pick-upand control means to increase or decrease the power available to the sensor dependant on the sensed power available. A method of inductively powering a sensor, an inductively powered sensor and an animal enclosure including one or more primary conductive path of an inductive power supply are also disclosed.

Inductively powered mobile sensor system

The invention relates to inductive power transfer (IPT) systems, and has particular relevance to control of IPT systems, and to operation of IPT system primary power supplier. There is provided a method for controlling an IPT system primary power supply having a switched resonant circuit; the method comprising: determining the value of a parameter of the system; determining an energy injection switching pattern having a duration dependent on the parameter value; controlling the resonant circuit according to the determined energy injection switching pattern.

Inductive power transfer control using energy injection

The present invention provides a power supply for an inductive power transfer (IPT) system, comprising a current-fed push-pull resonant converter comprising a parallel-tuned resonant tank and a pair of switches enabling selective shorting of the resonant tank; and a controller adapted to control a shorting period of the resonant converter by selectively operating the switches. Methods for controlling an IPT power supply are also disclosed. The power supply may be controlled to regulate the output of an IPT pick-up inductively coupled with the power supply in use, or to operate at a zero voltage switching (ZVS) frequency.

Shorting period control in inductive power transfer systems

An inductively powered sensor system includes a primary conductive pathcapable of being energized to provide an electromagnetic field in a defined space. An inductive power pick-upis associated with a sensorand is capable of receiving power from the field to supply the sensor. The system includes a first sensing means to sense the power available to the pick-upand control means to increase or decrease the power available to the sensor dependant on the sensed power available. A method of inductively powering a sensor, an inductively powered sensor and an animal enclosure including one or more primary conductive path of an inductive power supply are also disclosed.

The present invention provides an inductively powered sensor system having a primary conductive path capable of being energized to provide an electromagnetic field in a defined space. An inductive power pick-up is associated with a sensor and is capable of receiving power from the field to supply the sensor. The system includes a first sensing unit to sense the power available to the pick-up and a control unit to increase or decrease the power available to the sensor dependant on the sensed power available. A method of inductively powering a sensor, an inductively powered sensor and an animal enclosure including one or more primary conductive path of an inductive power supply are also disclosed.

A resonant inverter includes inductive elements (L, L) that allow the number of magnetic components in the inverter to be reduced. The elements (L, L) may be designed with a leakage inductance to eliminate the need for a large DC inductor. They may also perform the function of a current splitting transformer. The inverter switches may also be driven directly from the inverter circuit without a separate controller being required.

Resonant inverter

A power pick-up for an Inductively Coupled Power Transfer (ICPT) system is provided having a resonant pick up circuit. The natural frequency of the pick-up circuit may be varied by controlling the conductance or capacitance of a variable reactive in the resonant circuit. The load being supplied by the pick-up circuit is sensed, and the effective capacitance or inductance of the variable reactive component is controlled to vary the natural resonant frequency of the pick-up circuit to thereby control the power flow into the pick-up to satisfy the power required by the load.

Method and apparatus for control of inductively coupled power transfer systems

A resonant converter is provided which may be used for supplying power to the primary conductive path of an inductively coupled power transfer (ICPT) system. The converter includes a variable reactive element in the resonant circuit which may be controlled to vary the effective inductance or capacitance of the reactive element. The frequency of the converter is stabilised to a nominal value by sensing the frequency of the converter resonant circuit, comparing the sensed frequency with a nominal frequency and varying the effective inductance or capacitance of the variable reactive element to adjust the converter frequency toward the nominal frequency.

Growing community of inventors

Auckland, New Zealand

Aiguo Hu