Wireless power receiver and method for controlling the wireless power receiver

• US 10,135,289 B2
• Filed: 11/28/2016
• Issued: 11/20/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 12/01/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Bong-Chul, Kim, Dong-Zo, Yeo, Sung-Ku
• Primary Examiner(s): LIN, SUN J
• Application Number:
  US15/362,050
• Publication Number:
  US 20170155272A1
• Time in Patent Office: 722 Days
• Field of Search: 320108
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0071 with a programmable schedule
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00714 in response to battery charging or discharging current
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/007182 in response to battery voltage

Abstract

A wireless power receiver and a method for controlling the wireless power receiver are provided. The wireless power receiver includes a resonant circuit configured to receiving electromagnetic waves from a wireless power transmitter and output alternate current (AC) power, a rectifier configured to rectify the AC power received from the resonant circuit into direct current (DC) power, a DC/DC converter configured to convert the DC power received from the rectifier and output the converted DC power, a battery, a charger configured to charge the battery with the converted DC power, and a controller configured to, upon detection of an event indicating a change in impedance at an output end of the DC/DC converter, control the impedance at the output end of the DC/DC converter and keep the impedance constant by adjusting voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter.

Claims

1. A wireless power receiver comprising:

a resonant circuit configured to receive electromagnetic waves from a wireless power transmitter and output alternate current (AC) power;

a rectifier configured to rectify the AC power received from the resonant circuit into direct current (DC) power;

a DC/DC converter configured to convert the DC power received from the rectifier and output the converted DC power;

a battery;

a charger configured to charge the battery with the converted DC power; and

a controller configured to, upon detection of an event indicating a change in impedance at an output end of the DC/DC converter, control the impedance at the output end of the DC/DC converter and keep the impedance constant by adjusting voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter.

2. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein, upon detection of a decrease in current at an input end of the battery as the event, the controller is further configured to control the voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter to be decreased.

3. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein, upon detection of switching of a charging mode of the battery from a constant current mode to a constant voltage mode as the event, the controller is further configured to control the voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter to be decreased.

4. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein, upon detection of an abrupt change in current at an input end of the battery, the controller is further configured to adjust the voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter.

5. The wireless power receiver of claim 4, wherein, if current at the input end of the battery increases abruptly, the controller is further configured to increase the voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter, and

wherein, if the current at the input end of the battery decreases abruptly, the controller is further configured to decrease the voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter.

6. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

measure current and voltage at an input end of the battery;

measure impedance at the input end of the battery using the measured current and voltage; and

upon detection of an abrupt change in the impedance at the input end of the battery as the event, adjust the voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter.

7. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein, upon detection of a voltage having a predetermined value at an input end of the battery as the event, the controller is further configured to control the voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter to be decreased.

8. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein, upon detection of a decrease in current at the output end of the DC/DC converter as the event, the controller is further configured to control the voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter to be decreased.

9. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

measure current and voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter;

measure the impedance at the output end of the DC/DC converter using the measured current and voltage; and

if detecting as the event that a difference between a reference value and the impedance at the output end of the DC/DC converter exceeds a first threshold, adjust the voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter.

10. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

measure current and voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter;

measure the impedance at the output end of the DC/DC converter using the measured current and voltage; and

upon detection of an abrupt change in the impedance at the output end of the DC/DC converter as the event, adjust the voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter.

11. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein, after adjusting the voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter, the controller is further configured to:

acquire a wireless charging efficiency; and

re-adjust output voltage of the DC/DC converter based on the acquired wireless charging efficiency.

12. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein, after adjusting the voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter, the controller is further configured to:

monitor whether the event has been released; and

re-adjust the voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter based on a result released in monitoring the event.

13. A method for controlling a wireless power receiver, the method comprising:

receiving electromagnetic waves from a wireless power transmitter and outputting alternate current (AC) power;

rectifying the AC power into direct current (DC) power;

converting the DC power;

charging a battery of the wireless power receiver with the converted DC power; and

upon detection of an event indicating a change in impedance at an output end of a DC/DC converter, controlling the impedance at the output end of the DC/DC converter and keeping the impedance constant by adjusting voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the controlling the impedance at the output end of the DC/DC converter to be kept constant comprises, upon detection of a decrease in current at an input end of the battery as the event, controlling the voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter to be decreased.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the controlling the impedance at the output end of the DC/DC converter to be kept constant comprises, upon detection of switching of a charging mode of the battery from a constant current mode to a constant voltage mode as the event, controlling the voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter to be decreased.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the controlling the impedance at the output end of the DC/DC converter to be kept constant comprises, upon detection of an abrupt change in current at an input end of the battery, adjusting the voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the controlling the impedance at the output end of the DC/DC converter to be kept constant comprises:

if current at the input end of the battery increases abruptly, increasing the voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter; and

if the current at the input end of the battery decreases abruptly, decreasing the voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the controlling the impedance at the output end of the DC/DC converter to be kept constant comprises:

measuring current and voltage at an input end of the battery;

measuring impedance at the input end of the battery using the measured current and voltage; and

upon detection of an abrupt change in the impedance at the input end of the battery as the event, adjusting the voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter.

19. The method of claim 13, wherein the controlling the impedance at the output end of the DC/DC converter to be kept constant comprises, upon detection of a voltage having a predetermined value at an input end of the battery as the event, controlling the voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter to be decreased.

20. The method of claim 13, wherein the controlling the impedance at the output end of the DC/DC converter to be kept constant comprises, upon detection of a decrease in current at the output end of the DC/DC converter as the event, controlling the voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter to be decreased.

21. The method of claim 13, wherein the controlling the impedance at the output end of the DC/DC converter to be kept constant comprises:

measuring current and voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter;

measuring the impedance at the output end of the DC/DC converter using the measured current and voltage; and

if detecting as the event that a difference between a reference value and the impedance at the output end of the DC/DC converter exceeds a first threshold, adjusting the voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter.

22. The method of claim 13, wherein the controlling the impedance at the output end of the DC/DC converter to be kept constant comprises:

measuring current and voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter;

measuring the impedance at the output end of the DC/DC converter using the measured current and voltage; and

upon detection of an abrupt change in the impedance at the output end of the DC/DC converter as the event, adjusting the voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter.

23. The method of claim 13, wherein the controlling the impedance at the output end of the DC/DC converter to be kept constant comprises, after adjusting the voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter, acquiring a wireless charging efficiency and re-adjusting the voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter based on the acquired wireless charging efficiency.

24. The method of claim 13, wherein the controlling the impedance at the output end of the DC/DC converter to be kept constant comprises, after adjusting the voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter, monitoring whether the event has been released and re-adjusting the voltage at the output end of the DC/DC converter based on the monitoring.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable recording medium storing commands configured to, when executed by at least one processor, cause the at least one processor to control to perform the method of claim 13.