Design and integration of a control and communication unit (CCU) for a wireless charging platform in shared micro-mobility schemes

Abstract

Even though electrified transportation is increasingly being adopted, the lack of broad and reliable charging infrastructure is holding back its successful market penetration. Inductive Power Transfer (IPT) provided an option for the wireless transmission of electrical power through a safe, convenient, and flexible solution. Specifically, shared micro-mobility schemes would benefit from a smart wireless charging infrastructure, e.g., avoiding unsustainable battery-swapping and racking them in the city centers. Therefore, this thesis aims to integrate a Communication and Control Unit (CCU) in a wireless charging platform for electric kick scooters in shared schemes.

A technology comparison between Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Ultra-Wide Band (UWB), and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) was accomplished to identify the best wireless short-range protocol for to the identified scenario’s requirements. Afterward, BLE was chosen for the CCU implementation due to its robustness to interferences, low-power consumption, and market availability. Nevertheless, since this protocol does not provide reliable distance measurements in highly reflective environments, a distanceless algorithm was developed to detect where the vehicle is parked within the platform. A 5-states state machine was also delineated to develop key features, such as automated switching, alerts handling and State-of-Charge (SoC) monitoring. Finally, the system is tested throughout different possible users’ behaviours and the relative correct unit reaction is assessed. Future improvements are suggested, such as the addition of a sleep mode on the receiving units and the transmission of key system parameters to cloud services through the MQTT protocol.