# US 11,114,905 B2 · Primary assembly for use in a wireless power transmission system, positioning system, and method of determining a distance between a primary assembly and a secondary assembly > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,114,905 B2 - Document ID: US11114905B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/632,283 - Filed: 2017-07-20 - Published: 2020-08-13 - Granted: 2021-09-07 - Earliest claimed: 2017-07-20 - Assignees: TDK Corporation - Applicants: TDK Corporation - Inventors: Hugh Hemphill; Pierre Fechting - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11114905B2 ## CPC - H02J 50/90: involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment - B60L 53/12: Inductive energy transfer - B60L 53/36: by positioning the vehicle - B60L 53/38: specially adapted for charging by inductive energy transfer - H02J 50/10: using inductive coupling - H02J 50/80: involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices - H02J 2105/37: exchanging power with electric vehicles [EV] or with hybrid electric vehicles [HEV] - Y02T 10/70: Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries - Y02T 10/7072: Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors - Y02T 90/12: Electric charging stations - Y02T 90/14: Plug-in electric vehicles - H02J: ELECTRIC POWER NETWORKS; CIRCUIT ARRANGEMENTS OR SYSTEMS FOR SUPPLYING OR DISTRIBUTING ELECTRIC POWER; SYSTEMS FOR STORING ELECTRIC ENERGY - B60L: PROPULSION OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (arrangements or mounting of electrical propulsion units or of plural diverse prime-movers for mutual or common propulsion in vehicles B60K1/00, B60K6/20; arrangements or mounting of electrical gearing in vehicles B60K17/12, B60K17/14; preventing wheel slip by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/08; dynamo-electric machines H02K; control or regulation of electric motors H02P); SUPPLYING ELECTRIC POWER FOR AUXILIARY EQUIPMENT OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES (electric coupling devices combined with mechanical couplings of vehicles B60D1/64; electric heating for vehicles B60H1/00); ELECTRODYNAMIC BRAKE SYSTEMS FOR VEHICLES IN GENERAL (control or regulation of electric motors H02P); MAGNETIC SUSPENSION OR LEVITATION FOR VEHICLES; MONITORING OPERATING VARIABLES OF ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES; ELECTRIC SAFETY DEVICES FOR ELECTRICALLY-PROPELLED VEHICLES - Y02T: CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES RELATED TO TRANSPORTATION ## Abstract A primary assembly, a positioning system and a method for determining a distance between a primary assembly and a secondary assembly are disclosed. In an embodiment, a primary assembly for a wireless power transmission system includes a first antenna and a second antenna, wherein the first antenna is configured to determine a distance between the first antenna and a circuit component of a secondary assembly for the wireless power transmission system, and wherein the second antenna is configured to determine a distance between the second antenna and the circuit component of the secondary assembly. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A primary assembly for a wireless power transmission system, the primary assembly comprising: a first antenna; a second antenna; and a third antenna, wherein the first antenna is configured to determine a first distance between the first antenna and a circuit component of a secondary assembly for the wireless power transmission system, wherein the second antenna is configured to determine a second distance between the second antenna and the circuit component of the secondary assembly, and wherein the third antenna is configured to determine a third distance between the third antenna and the circuit component of the secondary assembly. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The primary assembly of claim 1, wherein the first antenna and the second antenna are reception antennas, and wherein the circuit component of the secondary assembly is a transmission antenna. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The primary assembly of claim 1, wherein the first antenna and the second antenna comprise a resonance circuit including an inductive element and a capacitive element electrically connected in series or parallel to the inductive element. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The primary assembly of claim 1, further comprising a first rectifier, a second rectifier and an evaluation circuit, wherein the first rectifier is electrically connected to the first antenna and to the evaluation circuit, wherein the second rectifier is electrically connected to the second antenna and to the evaluation circuit, and wherein the first and second rectifiers are configured to transmit a first signal and a second signal to the evaluation circuit. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The primary assembly of claim 4, wherein the first signal is a voltage signal that is a measure for the first distance between the first antenna and a circuit element of the secondary assembly, and wherein the second signal is a voltage signal that is a measure for the second distance between the second antenna and the circuit element of the secondary assembly. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The primary assembly of claim 1, wherein the primary assembly comprises a primary coil configured to transmit electromagnetic power to a secondary coil of the secondary assembly. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) A positioning system comprising: the primary assembly according to claim 1; and the secondary assembly comprising a forth antenna as the circuit component and a secondary coil configured to receive electromagnetic power from the primary assembly or to transmit electromagnetic power to the primary assembly. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The positioning system according to claim 7, further comprising a fifth antenna and/or sixth antenna in the secondary assembly. ### Claim 9 A method for determining a distance between a primary assembly of a wireless power transmission system and a secondary assembly of the wireless power transmission system, the method comprising: transmitting a first signal from a circuit component of the secondary assembly; receiving the first signal with a first antenna of the primary assembly; receiving the first signal with a second antenna of the primary assembly; receiving the first signal with a third antenna of the primary assembly; determining a first distance between the circuit component of the secondary assembly and the first antenna by evaluating a signal strength of the first signal at a position of the first antenna; determining a second distance between the circuit component of the secondary assembly and the second antenna by evaluating the signal strength of the first signal at a position of the second antenna; determining a third distance between the circuit component of the secondary assembly and the third antenna by evaluating the signal strength of the first signal at a position of the third antenna; determining a position and an orientation of a secondary coil based on the first and second distances and an angle of two directions; and determining the distance between the primary assembly and the secondary assembly by evaluating the first distance, the second distance and the third distance. ### Claim 10 A primary assembly for a wireless power transmission system, the primary assembly comprising: a first antenna; a second antenna; a first rectifier; a second rectifier; and an evaluation circuit, wherein the first antenna is configured to determine a first distance between the first antenna and a circuit component of a secondary assembly for the wireless power transmission system, wherein the second antenna is configured to determine a second distance between the second antenna and the circuit component of the secondary assembly, wherein the first rectifier is electrically connected to the first antenna and to the evaluation circuit, wherein the second rectifier is electrically connected to the second antenna and to the evaluation circuit, and wherein the first and second rectifiers are configured to transmit a first signal and a second signal to the evaluation circuit. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The primary assembly of claim 10, wherein the first antenna and the second antenna are reception antennas, and wherein the circuit component of the secondary assembly is a transmission antenna. ### Claim 12 (depends on 10) The primary assembly of claim 10, wherein the first antenna and the second antenna comprise a resonance circuit including an inductive element and a capacitive element electrically connected in series or parallel to the inductive element. ### Claim 13 (depends on 10) The primary assembly of claim 10, wherein the primary assembly comprises a primary coil configured to transmit electromagnetic power to a secondary coil of the secondary assembly. ### Claim 14 (depends on 10) A positioning system comprising: the primary assembly according to claim 10; and the secondary assembly comprising a fourth antenna as the circuit component and a secondary coil configured to receive electromagnetic power from the primary assembly or to transmit electromagnetic power to the primary assembly. ### Claim 15 (depends on 14) The positioning system according to claim 14, further comprising a fifth antenna and a sixth antenna in the secondary assembly. ### Claim 16 (depends on 10) The primary assembly of claim 10, wherein the first signal is a voltage signal that is a measure for the first distance between the first antenna and a circuit element of the secondary assembly, and wherein the second signal is a voltage signal that is a measure for the second distance between the second antenna and the circuit element of the secondary assembly. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The primary assembly of claim 16, wherein the first antenna and the second antenna are reception antennas, and wherein the circuit component of the secondary assembly is a transmission antenna. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The primary assembly of claim 16, wherein the first antenna and the second antenna comprise a resonance circuit including an inductive element and a capacitive element electrically connected in series or parallel to the inductive element. ### Claim 19 (depends on 16) The primary assembly of claim 16, wherein the primary assembly comprises a primary coil configured to transmit electromagnetic power to a secondary coil of the secondary assembly. ### Claim 20 (depends on 16) A positioning system comprising: the primary assembly according to claim 16; and the secondary assembly comprising an antenna as the circuit component and a secondary coil configured to receive electromagnetic power from the primary assembly or to transmit electromagnetic power to the primary assembly, wherein the secondary assembly comprises a fifth antenna and a sixth antenna.