Road Coil Fault Identification in Contactless EV Charging
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Solution Overview
Problem
Contactless charging systems for electric or hybrid electric vehicles face challenges in identifying faulty primary coils without additional hardware, leading to potential system disruptions and complex recovery processes.
Innovation Solution
A method for managing contactless charging systems that involves supplying electric current to a first coil, short-circuiting a second coil, determining electrical parameters, and comparing them with threshold values to robustly identify coil failures, with optional iterations and frequency scanning to enhance accuracy and robustness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If the existing management procedure is used to identify coil failures, then the system can detect faulty coils, but the identification process is complex and cannot confirm definitive coil failure
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the electrical parameter being measured from simple presence/absence detection to impedance measurement. By measuring the impedance of the coil under test and comparing it to a reference impedance value, the system can definitively identify coil failures with high precision. This parameter change transforms an ambiguous detection process into a precise measurement process.
2Reliability
If primary coils are embedded in the road surface, then the charging system can provide continuous power transfer, but the coils cannot be easily replaced when failed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical approach of physical coil replacement with an electrical diagnostic approach. Instead of needing to physically access and replace embedded coils, the system uses impedance measurement to electrically identify failed coils. This substitution maintains system reliability while eliminating the complexity of physical repair operations.
3Measurement precision
If additional hardware components are added to identify coil failures, then the identification accuracy can be improved, but the system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements self-service by using the coil's own electrical properties (impedance) as the diagnostic indicator. The management device measures the impedance of each coil and compares it to reference values, allowing the system to self-diagnose failures without external sensors or additional hardware. This approach achieves high identification accuracy while maintaining system simplicity.
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
Enables efficient and reliable identification of primary coil failures without additional hardware, ensuring system continuity and reducing downtime by accurately distinguishing between component drifts and foreign bodies.
Implementation Method 1
supplying electrical current to a first coil (20-1) chosen from among the coils of the network, short-circuiting at least one second coil (20-2) chosen from among the coils of the network and different from the first coil, causing the reception of an induced current in the at least second coil (20-2) due to a transfer of power by induction from the first coil (20-1)
Data Source
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AI summary
A method for managing a contactless charging system (6) comprising a network with at least two successive coils (20-1, ..., 20-n) arranged in a section of road (2) includes a phase for identifying a failure of the charging system (6). The identification phase includes the steps of: - supplying electrical current to a first coil chosen from among the coils (20-1, ..., 20-n) of the network, - short-circuiting at least a second coil chosen from among the coils of the network (20-1, ..., 20-n) and different from the first coil, - determining an electrical parameter of said first coil and/or said second coil, and - comparing the determined parameter with at least one threshold value.