Charge-discharge control apparatus and charge-discharge control apparatus method

• US 10,432,011 B2
• Filed: 05/25/2017
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toshiba Tec Corporation (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsuno, Hirokazu
• Primary Examiner(s): Amaya, Carlos
• Application Number:
  US15/605,174
• Publication Number:
  US 20170346330A1
• Time in Patent Office: 859 Days
• Field of Search: 307 17
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/40 using two or more transmitting or receiving devices H02J50/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00306 Overdischarge protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0068 Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence

Abstract

According to an embodiment, a charge-discharge control apparatus includes a rectifier-voltage decrease detector circuit and an over-discharge suppression controller circuit. On the condition that the rectifier-voltage decrease detector circuit detects that voltage output from a rectifier circuit of a power-receiving device is decreased below a voltage threshold, the over-discharge suppression controller circuit suppresses over-discharge of an inverter circuit of a power-feeding device, or suppresses over-discharge of a battery of the power-receiving device.

Claims

1. A charge-discharge control apparatus, comprising:

a power-feeding device including;

an inverter circuit,

a primary coil, a voltage output from the inverter circuit being applied to the primary coil,

a current detector circuit that detects a current output from the inverter circuit and flowing in the primary coil, and

an over-discharge suppression controller circuit;

a power-receiving device including;

a secondary coil that receives power supplied from the primary coil without contacting the primary coil, and

a rectifier circuit that supplies the received power to a load to operate the load and a battery to charge the battery; and

a rectifier-voltage decrease detector circuit that detects that a voltage output from the rectifier circuit decreases to below a predetermined voltage value, wherein

the over-discharge suppression controller circuit is configured to;

determine if the current detected by the current detector circuit exceeds a predetermined current value,

when the current detected by the current detector circuit is determined to exceed the predetermined current value, determine if the rectifier-voltage decrease detector circuit detects that the voltage output from the rectifier circuit has decreased below the predetermined voltage value, and

control the inverter circuit to suppress over-discharge when the rectifier-voltage decrease detector detects that the voltage output from the rectifier circuit decreases below the predetermined voltage.

4. The charge-discharge control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the rectifier-voltage decrease detector circuit outputs a rectifier-voltage decrease detection signal when the voltage output from the rectifier circuit decreases to below the predetermined voltage value.

5. The charge-discharge control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the secondary coil is supplied with power from the primary coil by using a magnetic-field resonant method.

9. The charge-discharge control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the over-discharge suppression controller circuit determines if the current detected by the current detector circuit exceeds the predetermined current value based on the rectifier-voltage decrease detection signal output by the rectifier-voltage decrease detector circuit.

2. A charge-discharge control apparatus, comprising:

a power-feeding device including;

an inverter circuit,

a primary coil, a voltage output from the inverter circuit being applied to the primary coil, and

an over-discharge suppression controller circuit;

a power-receiving device including;

a secondary coil that receives power supplied from the primary coil without contacting the primary coil, and

a rectifier circuit that supplies the received power to a load to operate the load and a battery to charge the battery; and

a rectifier-voltage decrease detector circuit that detects that a voltage output from the rectifier circuit decreases below a predetermined voltage value, wherein

the over-discharge suppression controller circuit is configured to simultaneously control the battery and the inverter circuit to suppress over-discharge when the rectifier-voltage decrease detector detects that the voltage output from the rectifier circuit has decreased to below the predetermined voltage value.

3. The charge-discharge control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

when a current flowing in the battery exceeds a predetermined current value, the over-discharge suppression controller circuit controls a voltage applied to the battery to be decreased according to an amount the current is above the predetermined current value.

10. The charge-discharge control apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

when the current output from the inverter circuit and flowing in the primary coil exceeds a predetermined current value, the over-discharge suppression controller circuit controls the inverter circuit to decrease the output voltage according to an amount the current is above the predetermined current value.

6. A charge-discharge control method for a charge-discharge control apparatus, the charge-discharge control apparatus including:

a power-feeding device including;

an inverter circuit,

a primary coil, a voltage output from the inverter circuit being applied to the primary coil,

a current detector circuit that detects a current output from the inverter circuit and flowing in the primary coil, and

an over-discharge suppression controller circuit;

a power-receiving device including;

a secondary coil that receives power supplied from the primary coil without contacting the primary coil, and

a rectifier circuit that supplies the received power to a load to operate the load and a battery to charge the battery; and

a rectifier-voltage decrease detector circuit,

the method comprising;

detecting that a voltage output from the rectifier circuit decreases to below a predetermined voltage value with the rectifier-voltage decrease detector circuit;

determining, using the over-discharge suppression controller, if the current detected by the current detector circuit exceeds a predetermined current value;

when the current detected by the current detector circuit is determined to exceed the predetermined current value, determine, using the over-charge suppression circuit, if the rectifier-voltage decrease detector circuit detects that the voltage output from the rectifier circuit has decreased below the predetermined voltage value; and

controlling, with the over-discharge suppression controller circuit, the inverter circuit to suppress over-discharge when the rectifier-voltage decrease detector detects that the voltage output from the rectifier circuit decreased below the predetermined voltage.

7. The charge-discharge control method according to claim 6, wherein

when the current output from the inverter circuit and flowing in the primary coil exceeds a predetermined current value, the over-discharge suppression controller circuit controls the inverter circuit to decrease the output voltage according to an amount the current is above the predetermined current value.

8. The charge-discharge control method according to claim 6, wherein

the secondary coil is supplied with power from the primary coil by using a magnetic-field resonant method.