Wireless Battery Pack Coil Mode Switching
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional battery pack systems for work machines, such as lawn mowers, face issues with terminal damage and corrosion due to mechanical connections for charging, leading to inrush currents, arcing, and exposure to environmental elements, which complicates wireless power transfer and charging.
Innovation Solution
A battery pack design that includes a power transferring/receiving coil and a control circuit capable of switching between power transfer and receiving modes, using stored electrical characteristics to determine the appropriate mode and eliminating the need for an external terminal, allowing for wireless power transfer between the battery pack and an external charger.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If mechanical connection terminals are used for battery charging, then power transfer is reliable, but terminal damage and corrosion occur due to inrush current and environmental exposure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical terminal connection system with a wireless power transfer system using electromagnetic induction. The battery pack includes a transmitting coil that wirelessly transfers power to the charger's receiving coil, eliminating physical terminal contacts and thereby preventing corrosion and damage from environmental exposure and inrush currents.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces electromagnetic fields as an intermediary medium for power transfer. Instead of direct electrical contact between terminals, power is transferred through electromagnetic induction between the transmitting coil in the battery pack and the receiving coil in the charger, serving as a non-contact intermediary that avoids terminal damage.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If wireless power transfer is implemented, then terminal exposure is eliminated, but mode determination complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs feedback mechanisms where the control circuit monitors electrical characteristics (such as impedance, current, or voltage) during power transfer operations. Based on this feedback, the control circuit automatically determines whether it is operating in charging mode or discharging mode, simplifying the complexity through intelligent automated detection rather than manual or complex mechanical switching.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables seamless wireless power supply and charging without exposing terminals to environmental risks, preventing damage and corrosion, and ensuring smooth operation by eliminating the need for mechanical connections.
Implementation Method 1
a power transferring/receiving coil (31), and a control circuit (34) that switches between a power transfer mode in which electrical current of the battery (32) is transferred to a power receiving coil (22) provided to the work machine (1) and a power receiving mode in which power transferred from a power transfer coil (45) provided to an external charger (40) charges the battery (32)
Data Source
AI summary
The invention includes a memory unit that stores electrical characteristics of a power receiving coil of an electric lawnmower and a power transfer coil of an external charger, wherein a battery side control circuit performs a test power transfer from a power transferring/receiving coil to the power receiving coil or the power transfer coil to obtain electrical characteristics of a power receiving side, compares the electrical characteristics to the electrical characteristics stored in the memory unit to determine whether the electrical characteristics are of a power transfer to the power receiving coil or of a power transfer to the power transfer coil, and performs control to switch to a power transfer mode with respect to the power receiving coil or to a power receiving mode with respect to the power transfer coil.