Induction charging device for inductively transmitting energy to an induction rechargeable battery device, and method for inductively charging an induction rechargeable battery device

• US 10,491,044 B2
• Filed: 06/09/2016
• Issued: 11/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Wirnitzer, Bernd, Krupezevic, Dragan, Lohr, Guenter, Mack, Juergen, Gonda, Martin
• Primary Examiner(s): Fleming, Fritz M
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dhillon, Jagdeep S
• Application Number:
  US15/750,055
• Publication Number:
  US 20180233952A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,265 Days
• Field of Search: 307104, 307 101, 307 102, 307 66, 307 64, 307 82, 307 43, 307116, 320108, 320109, 320110, 320119
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0006 Arrangements for supplying an adequate voltage to the control circuit of converters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0032 Control circuits allowing low power mode operation, e.g. in standby mode
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0058 by employing soft switching techniques, i.e. commutation of transistors when applied voltage is zero or when current flow is zero using an auxiliary actively switched resonant commutation circuit connected to an intermediate DC voltage or between two push-pull branches of an inverter bridge H02M7/4811; in resonant inverters H02M7/4815; in inverters operating from a resonant DC source H02M7/4826
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/0064 Magnetic structures combining different functions, e.g. storage, filtering or transformation
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/335 using semiconductor devices only
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/3376 with automatic control of output voltage or current
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes

Abstract

An induction charging device and a method for inductively transmitting energy to an induction rechargeable battery device, with at least one primary oscillating circuit that includes at least one charging coil, and with a control/regulation unit for controlling the primary oscillating circuit with an inverter circuit. An excitation frequency of an output signal of the inverter circuit made up of half-waves essentially corresponds to a resonant frequency of the primary oscillating circuit. The induction charging device provides that, for reducing a charging current, the control/regulation unit, after an end-of-charge voltage of the induction rechargeable battery device is reached, controls the inverter circuit so that the output signal periodically sets at least one first half-wave to a high value, and an odd plurality of successive half-waves is then immediately set to a value that is low compared to the high value.

Claims

1. An induction charging device for inductively transmitting energy to an induction rechargeable battery device, comprising:

at least one primary oscillating circuit having at least one charging coil and having a control/regulation unit to control the primary oscillating circuit with an inverter circuit;

wherein an excitation frequency of an output signal of the inverter circuit made up of half-waves essentially corresponding to a resonant frequency of the primary oscillating circuit,

wherein for reducing a charging current, the control/regulation unit, after an end-of-charge voltage of the induction rechargeable battery device is reached, controls the inverter circuit so that the output signal periodically sets at least one first half-wave to a high value, and an odd plurality of successive half-waves is then immediately set to a value that is low compared to the high value.

2. The induction charging device of claim 1, wherein a first half-wave having a high value is periodically followed in succession by at least three half-waves having a reduced value compared to the high value.

3. The induction charging device of claim 1, wherein an odd number of successive first half-waves having a high value is periodically followed in succession by at least three half-waves having a reduced value compared to the high value.

4. The induction charging device of claim 1, wherein the control or regulation unit holds the excitation frequency of the output signal of the inverter circuit essentially constant after the end-of-charge voltage is reached.

5. The induction charging device of claim 3, wherein the control/regulation unit detunes the excitation frequency of the output signal of the inverter circuit with respect to the resonant frequency after the end-of-charge voltage is reached.

6. An induction charging apparatus, which is a hand-held power tool induction charging apparatus, comprising:

at least one induction charging device for inductively transmitting energy to an induction rechargeable battery device, including;

at least one primary oscillating circuit having at least one charging coil and having a control/regulation unit to control the primary oscillating circuit with an inverter circuit;

wherein an excitation frequency of an output signal of the inverter circuit made up of half-waves essentially corresponding to a resonant frequency of the primary oscillating circuit,

wherein for reducing a charging current, the control/regulation unit, after an end-of-charge voltage of the induction rechargeable battery device is reached, controls the inverter circuit so that the output signal periodically sets at least one first half-wave to a high value, and an odd plurality of successive half-waves is then immediately set to a value that is low compared to the high value; and

an induction rechargeable battery device.

7. A method for inductively charging an induction rechargeable battery device with an induction charging device, which includes an inverter circuit and at least one primary oscillating circuit, the method comprising:

charging the induction rechargeable battery device in a first phase with an essentially constant charging current so that an excitation frequency of an output signal, made up of half-waves, of the inverter circuit for controlling the primary oscillating circuit essentially corresponds to a resonant frequency of the primary oscillating circuit; and

charging the induction rechargeable battery device in a second phase, after an end-of-charge voltage of the induction rechargeable battery device is reached, with a charging current that is reduced compared to the charging current of the first phase so that the output signal of the inverter circuit periodically sets at least one first half-wave to a high value, and an odd plurality of successive half-waves is then immediately set to a value that is reduced compared to the high value.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a first half-wave having a high value is periodically followed in succession by at least three half-waves having a reduced value compared to the high value.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein an odd number of successive first half-waves having a high value is periodically followed in succession by at least three half-waves having a reduced value compared to the high value.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the excitation frequency of the output signal of the inverter circuit remains essentially constant after the end-of-charge voltage is reached.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the excitation frequency of the output signal of the inverter circuit is detuned with respect to the resonant frequency after the end-of-charge voltage is reached.