Power transfer enabled winch system
View Patent ↗A vehicle including a vehicle main battery, a wheel and tire assembly, an inductive charging device, and a cable is disclosed. The wheel and tire assembly may include a tire and a wheel. The inductive charging device may be mounted in the wheel and tire assembly. The inductive charging device may receive power from an inductive power source and transfer power to the vehicle main battery. The cable may vertically move the wheel and tire assembly between a lowered position and a stowed position, and enable power transfer between the wheel and tire assembly and the vehicle main battery.
1 . A vehicle comprising:
a vehicle main battery;
a wheel and tire assembly having a tire and a wheel;
an inductive charging device mounted in the wheel and tire assembly, wherein the inductive charging device is configured to receive power from an inductive power source and transfer power to the vehicle main battery; and
a cable configured to:
vertically move the wheel and tire assembly between a lowered position and a stowed position; and
enable power transfer between the wheel and tire assembly and the vehicle main battery.
2 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the cable is a part of a winch system.
3 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the inductive charging device is configured to transfer power to the vehicle main battery via the cable.
4 . The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a spare battery mounted in the wheel and tire assembly, wherein the spare battery is configured to receive power from the inductive charging device and transfer power to the vehicle main battery via the cable.
5 . The vehicle of claim 4 , wherein:
the cable comprises a first connector at a proximal end and a second connector at a distal end,
the first connector is configured to engage with the vehicle main battery, and
the second connector is configured to engage with at least one of the spare battery or the inductive charging device.
6 . The vehicle of claim 4 , wherein at least one of the spare battery or the inductive charging device comprises electrical connectors to enable power transfer between the wheel and tire assembly and the vehicle main battery.
7 . The vehicle of claim 4 , wherein at least one of the spare battery or the inductive charging device comprises inductive power transfer pads to enable power transfer between the wheel and tire assembly and the vehicle main battery.
8 . The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the wheel and tire assembly is configured to be mounted at an undercarriage of the vehicle, and wherein the wheel and tire assembly contacts the undercarriage in the stowed position.
9 . The vehicle of claim 1 , further comprising a processor configured to:
receive a first request to move the vehicle when the wheel and tire assembly is in the lowered position; and
perform a predetermined action responsive to receiving the first request.
10 . The vehicle of claim 9 , wherein the processor is configured to receive the first request via a vehicle Human-Machine Interface or a user device.
11 . The vehicle of claim 9 , wherein the predetermined action comprises automatically moving the wheel and tire assembly from the lowered position to the stowed position.
12 . The vehicle of claim 9 , wherein the predetermined action comprises disengaging the cable and the wheel and tire assembly.
13 . The vehicle of claim 9 , wherein the processor is further configured to:
receive a second request to disengage the cable and the wheel and tire assembly; and
disengage the cable and the wheel and tire assembly responsive to receiving the second request.
14 . The vehicle of claim 13 , wherein the processor is configured to receive the second request via a user device, a vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication, or a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication.
15 . A vehicle comprising:
a vehicle main battery;
a wheel and tire assembly having a tire and a wheel;
an inductive charging device mounted in the wheel and tire assembly, wherein the inductive charging device is configured to receive power from an inductive power source and transfer power to the vehicle main battery;
a first cable configured to vertically move the wheel and tire assembly between a lowered position and a stowed position; and
a second cable configured to enable power transfer between the wheel and tire assembly and the vehicle main battery.
16 . The vehicle of claim 15 , wherein the first cable and the second cable are part of a winch system.
17 . The vehicle of claim 15 , wherein the inductive charging device is configured to transfer power to the vehicle main battery via the second cable.
18 . The vehicle of claim 15 , further comprising a spare battery mounted in the wheel and tire assembly, wherein the spare battery is configured to receive power from the inductive charging device and transfer power to the vehicle main battery via the second cable.
19 . The vehicle of claim 18 , wherein:
the second cable comprises a first connector at a proximal end and a second connector at a distal end,
the first connector is configured to engage with the vehicle main battery, and
the second connector is configured to engage with at least one of the spare battery or the inductive charging device.
20 . A vehicle comprising:
a vehicle main battery;
a wheel and tire assembly having a tire and a wheel;
an inductive charging device mounted in the wheel and tire assembly, wherein the inductive charging device is configured to receive power from an inductive power source; and
a spare battery mounted in the wheel and tire assembly, wherein the spare battery is configured to receive power from the inductive charging device;
a cable configured to:
vertically move the wheel and tire assembly between a lowered position and a stowed position; and
enable power transfer between the wheel and tire assembly and the vehicle main battery.