Electronic unit and feed system

• US 10,547,213 B2
• Filed: 06/07/2018
• Issued: 01/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nakano, Hiroaki, Terashima, Toru, Bunsen, Keigo, Fukuda, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Application Number:
  US16/002,264
• Publication Number:
  US 20180287428A1
• Time in Patent Office: 600 Days
• Field of Search: 320107, 320127, 320128, 320132, 320149
• 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 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
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00045 Authentication, i.e. circuits for checking compatibility between one component, e.g. a battery or a battery charger, and another component, e.g. a power source
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00308 Overvoltage protection

Abstract

An electronic unit includes: a power receiving section configured to receive electric power fed from a feed unit by using a magnetic field; and a control section configured to perform, when a receiving current supplied from the power receiving section is less than a predetermined threshold current at a time of a light load, current increasing control to increase the receiving current to the threshold current or more.

Claims

1. An electronic unit comprising:

control circuitry configured to, in this order;

(a) initiate a preliminary feeding process to receive a power supply for an activation of the electronic unit,

(b) provide the electric current to a first load after a rectification of the electric current by a rectification circuit, the electric current increasing to a first current value,

(c) measure a first value related to the first current value,

(d) provide the electric current at least to a second load after the rectification of the electric current by the rectification circuit, the electric current increasing to a second current value that is larger than the first current value,

(e) measure a second value related to the second current value, and

(f) initiate a main feeding process to supply power to a main load.

2. The electronic unit according to claim 1, wherein a threshold value to control a power transmission from the feed unit to the electronic unit is associated with the first current value and the second current value.

3. The electronic unit according to claim 2, wherein the first current value, the second current value, and threshold value are associated by satisfying the follow equation:

the first current value <

the threshold value <

=the second current value.

4. The electronic unit according to claim 2, wherein the threshold value is a variable value determined based on a third value related to a received voltage by the electronic unit.

5. The electronic unit according to claim 1, wherein a main load includes a battery.

6. The electronic unit according to claim 1, wherein the rectification circuit is coupled between a first node to which a power receiving coil is connected, and a second node to which the first load and the second load are connected.

7. The electronic unit according to claim 1, wherein the control circuitry is configured to control a detection circuit which measures the first value and the second value.

8. The electronic unit according to claim 7, wherein the detection circuit is configured to measure the first value and the second value as current values.

9. The electronic unit according to claim 8, wherein the detection circuit is configured to measure the first value and the second value as voltage values respectively relating to the first current value and the second current value.

10. The electronic unit according to claim 2, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to determine whether the first current value is smaller than the threshold value after the step of (c).

11. The electronic unit according to claim 2, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to determine whether the second value is smaller than the threshold value after the step of (e).

12. The electronic unit according to claim 10, wherein the control circuitry is further configured to proceed to the step of (d) only when the second value is determined smaller than the threshold value, after the step of (c).

13. The electronic unit according to claim 1, wherein the first load and the second load are dummy loads implemented within the electronic unit.

14. The electronic unit according to claim 4, wherein the control circuitry is configured to measure the received voltage after the rectification of the electric current by the rectification circuit.

15. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a control circuitry,

a power receiving coil,

a rectification circuit coupled to the power receiving coil,

a first load and a second load coupled to the rectification circuit,

a battery,

wherein the control circuitry is configured to, in this order;

(a) initiate a preliminary feeding process to receive a power supply for an activation of the electronic unit,

(b) provide the electric current to a first load after a rectification of the electric current by a rectification circuit, the electric current increasing to a first current value,

(c) measure a first value related to the first current value,

(d) provide the electric current at least to a second load after the rectification of the electric current by the rectification circuit, the electric current increasing to a second current value that is larger than the first current value,

(e) measure a second value related to the second current value, and

(f) initiate a main feeding process to supply power to a main load.