Apparatus and Method for Active Generation and Application of Reactive Power in Inductive Transmission Systems

Simple SummaryContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

This invention provides an apparatus and method for the active generation and injection of reactive power into inductive transmission systems, such as those used for wireless energy transfer (e.g., contactless charging). Unlike conventional systems using fixed or stepwise compensation, this solution dynamically and efficiently adjusts the compensation to maintain optimal performance—even with changing system parameters or load positions—using power electronics to generate and introduce reactive power directly into the system during operation.

Use CasesContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Wireless charging of electric vehicles, including automated and efficient charging regardless of vehicle alignment or battery state of charge.
• Contactless power transfer for trains or trams, eliminating wear and reducing maintenance costs by replacing overhead lines with inductive systems.
• Supply of moving or rotating industrial machinery and logistics devices (e.g., robots, forklifts, automated guided vehicles) with consistent, efficient contactless power.
• Supplying power to medical implants or devices in hygiene-critical environments, such as clean rooms or food production, where contact-based power delivery is impractical or undesirable.
• Wireless charging for small consumer electronics, such as toothbrushes, smartphones, or similar devices.

BenefitsContent extracted from patent full text and abstract with AI.

• Ensures high energy-transfer efficiency across varying load conditions and misalignment, particularly improving efficiency at partial loads.
• Automatically compensates for aging, temperature drift, or parameter variations in the system, reducing the need for costly over-dimensioned components.
• Minimizes losses and electromagnetic emissions, resulting in more robust and environmentally friendly operations.
• Enables smaller, lighter, and more cost-effective charging or power delivery hardware due to dynamic compensation eliminating over-sizing needs.
• Facilitates continuous, dynamic, and robust control of output parameters (e.g., current, voltage, power factor) without requiring additional communication channels between primary and secondary sides of the system.

Technical Classifications (CPCs)

Inventors & Applicants

Patent Abstract

The invention relates to apparatus (3) and a method for the active generation and application of reactive power in an inductive transmission system (12), the apparatus comprising at least one device (1) for the active generation of reactive power. The reactive power can be actively generated by a power electronics actuator comprising at least one power electronics circuit (1.1) and an intermediate electric energy store (1.2). The apparatus also comprises a device (2) for coupling in reactive power and the reactive power generated by the device (1) can be coupled into the inductive transmission system (12) by means of a capacitor.