Wireless power transmitter apparatus having power transmitter apparatus and power reception apparatus supplied with electric power energy via space

• US 10,020,794 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2014
• Issued: 07/10/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Oosumi, Hideo, Kanno, Hiroshi, Sakata, Tsutomu
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mourad, Rasem
• Application Number:
  US14/784,395
• Publication Number:
  US 20160079951A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,553 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 5/00 Circuit arrangements for transfer of electric power between ac networks and dc networks H02J3/36 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type

Abstract

A power transmitter apparatus of a wireless power transmitter apparatus transmits electric power from the power transmitter apparatus to a power reception apparatus by electromagnetically coupling a power transmitter apparatus resonance coil with a power reception apparatus resonance coil. The power transmitter apparatus includes a control signal detector portion that generates a control signal based on a voltage change of a voltage across both terminals of the power transmitter apparatus resonance coil and transmits the control signal; and a switching circuit that resonates the power transmitter apparatus resonance coil on the basis of the control signal.

Claims

1. A power reception apparatus configured to receive an alternating-current voltage transmitted wirelessly from a power transmitter apparatus comprising a switching circuit operative to supply a power transmitter apparatus resonance coil with the alternating-current voltage, the power reception apparatus comprising:

a power reception apparatus resonance coil, to which the alternating-current is transmitted from the power transmitter apparatus resonance coil by electromagnetically coupling the power transmitter apparatus resonance coil with the power reception apparatus resonance coil;

a rectifier circuit operative to convert the alternating-current voltage transmitted by the power reception apparatus resonance coil to a direct-current,

a real load supplied with the direct-current voltage from the rectifier circuit;

a voltage adjustment load having an impedance larger than that of the real load and connected in parallel to the rectifier circuit between the rectifier and the real load;

a real load connector switch that switches between a conductive state and a non-conductive state and is configured as an electric connection between the rectifier circuit and the real load;

a detector circuit operative to measure the direct-current voltage applied to the voltage adjustment load; and

a power reception controller that controls the real load connector switch to switch between the conductive state and the non-conductive state, and controls the impedance of the voltage adjustment load,

wherein the power reception controller controls the electric connection between the rectifier circuit and the real load to be in the non-conductive state using the real load connector switch before startup of the power transmitter apparatus,

when the power transmitter apparatus is at started up, the power reception controller maintains the electric connection between the rectifier circuit and the real load to be in the non-conductive state using the real load connector switch and supplies the rectifier circuit with the alternating-current voltage transmitted from the power transmitter apparatus, converts a supplied alternating-current voltage to a direct-current voltage using the rectifier circuit, and supplies the voltage adjustment load with the direct-current voltage, and raises the direct-current voltage by controlling the impedance of the voltage adjustment load until the direct-current voltage applied to the voltage adjustment load measured by the detector circuit reaches within a range of a defined voltage,

when the measured direct-current voltage reaches within the range of the defined voltage, the power reception controller switches the electric connection between the rectifier circuit and the real load from the non-conductive state to the conductive state using the real load connector switch, and supplies the real load with the direct-current voltage, and

when the direct-current voltage applied to the voltage adjustment load reaches within the range of the defined voltage and the power reception controller confirms that the direct current voltage becomes stable within the range of the defined voltage, the power reception controller switches the electric connection between the rectifier circuit and the real load from the non-conductive state to the conductive state using the real load connector switch, and supplies the real load with the direct-current voltage.

2. The power reception apparatus as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a voltage adjustment load connector switch that switches between a non-conductive state and a conductive state and is configured as an electric connection between the voltage adjustment load and the rectifier circuit,

wherein the power reception controller controls the electric connection between the rectifier circuit and the real load to be in the non-conductive state using the real load connector switch before startup of the power transmitter apparatus, and controls the electric connection between the voltage adjustment load and the rectifier circuit using the voltage adjustment load connector switch to be in a non-conductive state,

when the power transmitter apparatus is started up, the power reception controller maintains the electric connection between the rectifier circuit and the real load in the non-conductive state using the real load connector switch, and changes the electric connection between the rectifier circuit and the voltage adjustment load from the non-conductive state to the conductive state using voltage adjustment load connector switch, supplies the rectifier circuit with the alternating-current voltage transmitted from the power transmitter apparatus, converts the alternating-current voltage supplied using the rectifier circuit to the direct-current voltage, and supplies the voltage adjustment load with the direct-current voltage,

the power reception controller raises the direct-current voltage until the direct-current voltage applied to the voltage adjustment load measured by the detector circuit reaches within a range of a defined voltage, and

when the measured direct-current voltage reaches within the defined voltage, the power reception controller switches the electric connection between the rectifier circuit and the real load between the non-conductive state and conductive state using the real load connector switch, and supplies the real load with the direct-current voltage, and switches the electric connection between the voltage adjustment load and the rectifier circuit from the conductive state to the non-conductive state using the voltage adjustment load connector switch.

3. The power reception apparatus as claimed in claim 1,

wherein an impedance value of the voltage adjustment load is equal to or larger than a hundred times an impedance value of the real load.

4. A wireless power transmitter apparatus comprising a power transmission apparatus;

and a power reception apparatus,

wherein the power reception apparatus receives an alternating-current voltage transmitted wirelessly from a power transmitter apparatus comprising a switching circuit operative to supply a power transmitter apparatus resonance coil with the alternating-current voltage, the power reception apparatus comprising;

a power reception apparatus resonance coil, to which the alternating-current is transmitted from the power transmitter apparatus resonance coil by electromagnetically coupling the power transmitter apparatus resonance coil with the power reception apparatus resonance coil;

a rectifier circuit operative to convert the alternating-current voltage transmitted by the power reception apparatus resonance coil to a direct-current,

a real load supplied with the direct-current voltage from the rectifier circuit;

a voltage adjustment load having an impedance larger than that of the real load and connected in parallel to the rectifier circuit between the rectifier and the real load;

a real load connector switch that switches between a conductive state and a non-conductive state and is configured as an electric connection between the rectifier circuit and the real load;

a detector circuit operative to measure the direct-current voltage applied to the voltage adjustment load; and

a power reception controller that controls the real load connector switch to switch between the conductive state and the non-conductive state, and controls the impedance of the voltage adjustment load,

wherein the power reception controller controls the electric connection between the rectifier circuit and the real load to be in the non-conductive state using the real load connector switch before startup of the power transmitter apparatus,

when the power transmitter apparatus is at started up, the power reception controller maintains the electric connection between the rectifier circuit and the real load to be in the non-conductive state using the real load connector switch and supplies the rectifier circuit with the alternating-current voltage transmitted from the power transmitter apparatus, converts a supplied alternating-current voltage to a direct-current voltage using the rectifier circuit, and supplies the voltage adjustment load with the direct-current voltage, and raises the direct-current voltage by controlling the impedance of the voltage adjustment load until the direct-current voltage applied to the voltage adjustment load measured by the detector circuit reaches within a range of a defined voltage,

when the measured direct-current voltage reaches within the range of the defined voltage, the power reception controller switches the electric connection between the rectifier circuit and the real load from the non-conductive state to the conductive state using the real load connector switch, and supplies the real load with the direct-current voltage, and

when the direct-current voltage applied to the voltage adjustment load reaches within the range of the defined voltage and the power reception controller confirms that the direct current voltage becomes stable within the range of the defined voltage, the power reception controller switches the electric connection between the rectifier circuit and the real load from the non-conductive state to the conductive state using the real load connector switch, and supplies the real load with the direct-current voltage.