Power transmitting device and wireless power transmission system

• US 10,148,129 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2016
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2015
• 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: Asanuma, Kenichi, Sakata, Tsutomu, Yamamoto, Atsushi, Kanno, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Fureman, Jared
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pham, Duc M
• Application Number:
  US15/199,408
• Publication Number:
  US 20170040843A1
• Time in Patent Office: 887 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/60 responsive to the presence of foreign objects, e.g. detection of living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices

Abstract

A power transmitting device determines transmitting power P(t1) at a beginning of a first unit time, and transmitting power P(t2) at an end of the first unit time, stores a control parameter Q(t3) that determines a voltage of the transmitting power at a beginning of a second unit time, and a control parameter Q(t4) that determines a voltage of the transmitting power at an end of the second unit time, determines a power difference ΔP=P(t2)−P(t1) and a difference ΔQ=Q(t4)−Q(t3) in the control parameter Q, and, if the ΔP is equal to or larger than a first threshold and an absolute value of the ΔQ is equal to or larger than a second threshold, determines that there is a foreign object between a receiver resonator and a transmitter resonator and decreases the transmitting power output from an inverter circuit.

Claims

1. A power transmitting device comprising:

a transmitter resonator that is electromagnetically coupled with a receiver resonator of a power receiving device and that transmits transmitting power;

an inverter circuit that generates the transmitting power to be output to the transmitter resonator; and

a power transmission control circuit that adjusts the transmitting power output from the inverter circuit by adjusting a control parameter Q that determines a voltage of the transmitting power based on information indicating a voltage inside the power receiving device, the information being input from the power receiving device,

wherein, in a state in which a predetermined period has elapsed since a beginning of power transmission and the transmitting power has converged within a predetermined range, the power transmission control circuit determines transmitting power P(t1) at a first time t1, which is a beginning of a first unit time, and transmitting power P(t2) at a second time t2, which is an end of the first unit time,

wherein the power transmission control circuit stores a control parameter Q(t3) that determines a voltage of the transmitting power at a third time t3, which is a beginning of a second unit time, and a control parameter Q(t4) that determines a voltage of the transmitting power at a fourth time t4, which is an end of the second unit time,

wherein the power transmission control circuit determines a power difference Δ

P =P(t2)−

P(t1) and a difference Δ

Q =Q(t4)−

Q(t3) in the control parameter Q,

wherein, if the Δ

P is equal to or larger than a first threshold and an absolute value of the Δ

Q is equal to or larger than a second threshold, the power transmission control circuit determines that there is a foreign object between the receiver resonator and the transmitter resonator and decreases the transmitting power output from the inverter circuit,

wherein, if the Δ

P is smaller than the first threshold or if the absolute value of the Δ

Q is smaller than the second threshold, the power transmission control circuit determines that there is no foreign object between the receiver resonator and the transmitter resonator and causes the inverter circuit to continue transmitting the same transmitting power, and

wherein the control parameter Q includes at least either a parameter that determines an output period ratio, which is a ratio of a period of time for which the voltage output from the inverter circuit is not zero to one period of the voltage, or a frequency of the voltage.

2. The power transmitting device according to claim 1,

wherein the t2 is a time after a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the t1 and at which an amount of change in the transmitting power per predetermined period converges within a predetermined range after the transmitting power increases.

3. The power transmitting device according to claim 1, wherein, if the Δ

P is equal to or larger than the first threshold and the absolute value of the is equal to or larger than the second threshold, the power transmission control circuit causes the inverter circuit to stop outputting the transmitting power.

4. The power transmitting device according to claim 1,

wherein the inverter circuit includes four switching devices,

wherein the four switching devices include a first switching device pair that, when closed, outputs a voltage having the same polarity as a voltage input from an external direct current power supply and a second switching device pair that, when closed, outputs a voltage having an opposite polarity to a polarity of the voltage input from the direct current power supply,

wherein the power transmission control circuit outputs a pulse signal for switching each of the four switching devices between a closed state and an open state to each of the fourth switching devices, and

wherein the control parameter Q includes a phase difference between the two pulse signals output to the first switching device pair from the power transmission control circuit and a phase difference between the other two pulse signals output to the second switching device pair.

5. The power transmitting device according to claim 1,

wherein, if a first evaluation parameter X=Δ

P/P(t1) and a second evaluation parameter Y=Δ

Q/Q(t3) fall out of corresponding predetermined ranges, the power transmission control circuit decreases the transmitting power output from the inverter circuit.

6. The power transmitting device according to Claim 1, further comprising:

a display;

wherein, after detecting the foreign object and stopping the power transmission, the power transmission control circuit changes a display state of the display.

7. A wireless power transmission system comprising:

the power transmitting device according to claim 1; and

a power receiving device.

8. A power transmitting device comprising:

a transmitter resonator that is electromagnetically coupled with the receiver resonator of a power receiving device and that transmits the transmitting power;

an inverter circuit that generates the transmitting power to be output to the transmitter resonator; and

a power transmission control circuit that adjusts the transmitting power output from the inverter circuit by adjusting a control parameter that determines a voltage of the transmitting power based on information indicating a voltage inside the power receiving device, the information being input from the power receiving device,

wherein, in a state in which a predetermined period of time has elapsed since a beginning of power transmission and the transmitting power has converged within a predetermined range, the power transmission control circuit determines transmitting power P(t1) at a first time t1, which is a beginning of a first unit time, and transmitting power P(t2) at a second time t2, which is an end of the first unit time,

wherein the power transmission control circuit stores a voltage V(t3) of the transmitting power at a third time t3, which is a beginning of a second unit time, and a voltage V(t4) of the transmitting power at a fourth time t4, which is an end of the second unit time,

wherein the power transmission control circuit determines a power difference Δ

P =P(t2)−

P(t1) and a voltage difference Δ

V =V(t4)−

V(t3),

wherein, if the Δ

P is equal to or larger than a first threshold and the Δ

V is equal to or larger than a second threshold, the power transmission control circuit determines that there is a foreign object between the receiver resonator and the transmitter resonator and decreases the transmitting power output from the inverter circuit, and

wherein, if the Δ

P is smaller than the first threshold or if the Δ

V is smaller than the second threshold, the power transmission control circuit determines that there is no foreign object between the receiver resonator and the transmitter resonator and causes the inverter circuit to continue transmitting the same transmitting power.

9. The power transmitting device according to claim 8,

wherein, if the Δ

P is equal to or larger than the first threshold and the Δ

V is equal to or larger than the second threshold, the power transmission control circuit causes the inverter circuit to stop outputting the transmitting power.

10. The power transmitting device according to claim 8,

wherein, if a first evaluation parameter X =Δ

P/P(t1) and a third evaluation parameter Z=Δ

V/V(t3) fall out of corresponding predetermined ranges, the power transmission control circuit decreases the transmitting power output from the inverter circuit.

11. A power transmitting device comprising:

a transmitter resonator that is electromagnetically coupled with the receiver resonator of a power receiving device and that transmits the transmitting power;

an inverter circuit that generates the transmitting power to be output to the transmitter resonator;

a power transmission control circuit that adjusts the transmitting power output from the inverter circuit by adjusting a control parameter Q that determines a voltage of the transmitting power based on information indicating a voltage inside the power receiving device, the information being input from the power receiving device; and

a sensor circuit that measures the control parameter Q,

wherein, in a state in which a predetermined period of time has elapsed since a beginning of power transmission and the transmitting power has converged within a predetermined range, the power transmission control circuit determines transmitting power P(t1) at a first time t1, which is a beginning of a first unit time, and transmitting power P(t2) at a second time t2, which is an end of the first unit time,

wherein the power transmission control circuit stores a measured value S(t3) obtained by measuring a control parameter Q(t3) that determines a voltage of the transmitting power at a third time t3, which is a beginning of a second unit time, and a measured value S(t4) obtained by measuring a control parameter Q(t4) that determines a voltage of the transmitting power at a fourth time t4, which is an end of the second unit time,

wherein the power transmission control circuit determines a power difference Δ

P =P(t2)−

P(t1) and a difference Δ

S =S(t4)−

S(t3) in the measured value of the control parameter Q,

wherein, if the Δ

P is equal to or larger than a first threshold and an absolute value of the Δ

S is equal to or larger than a third threshold, the power transmission control circuit determines that there is a foreign object between the receiver resonator and the transmitter resonator and decreases the transmitting power output from the inverter circuit, and

wherein, if the Δ

P is smaller than the first threshold or if the absolute value of the Δ

S is smaller than the third threshold, the power transmission control circuit determines that there is no foreign object between the receiver resonator and the transmitter resonator and causes the inverter circuit to continue transmitting the same transmitting power.

12. The power transmitting device according to claim 11,

wherein the control parameter Q includes at least either a parameter that determines an output period ratio, which is a ratio of a period of time for which the voltage output from the inverter circuit is not zero to one period of the voltage, or a frequency of the voltage.

13. The power transmitting device according to claim 11,

wherein the inverter circuit includes four switching devices,

wherein the four switching devices include a first switching device pair that, when closed, outputs a voltage having the same polarity as a voltage input from an external direct current power supply and a second switching device pair that, when closed, outputs a voltage having an opposite polarity to a polarity of the voltage input from the direct current power supply,

wherein the power transmission control circuit outputs a pulse signal for switching each of the four switching devices between a closed state and an open state to each of the fourth switching devices, and

wherein the control parameter Q includes a phase difference between the two pulse signals output to the first switching device pair from the power transmission control circuit and a phase difference between the other two pulse signals output to the second switching device pair.

14. The power transmitting device according to claim 11,

wherein, if a first evaluation parameter X=Δ

P/P(t1) and a fourth evaluation parameter Y=Δ

S/S(t3) fall out of corresponding predetermined ranges, the power transmission control circuit decreases the transmitting power output from the inverter circuit.