Wireless power transmission system and method based on transmission schedule

• US 10,567,038 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2015
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Sang Joon, Kwon, Ui Kun, Tarokh, Vahid
• Primary Examiner(s): Cole, Brandon S
• Application Number:
  US14/686,221
• Publication Number:
  US 20160028443A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,771 Days
• Field of Search: 307 89-111
• 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 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

A wireless power transmission system and method thereof are provided. A power transmission apparatus includes a processor configured to classify reception (RX) nodes into a subset, and to determine a transmission schedule based on the subset; and a transmission (TX) resonator configured to wirelessly transmit energy to an RX node corresponding to the subset, based on the transmission schedule.

Claims

1. A power transmission apparatus, comprising:

a transmission (TX) resonator configured to transmit initial energy to a reception (RX) node;

a communicator configured to receive channel information from the RX node based on the transmitted initial energy; and

a processor configured to;

determine, from the received channel information, a mutual coupling coefficient of the RX node;

classify the RX node into a subset based on the determined mutual coupling coefficient, wherein the subset comprises one or more RX nodes; and

determine a transmission schedule based on the subset,

wherein the TX resonator wirelessly transmits energy to the RX node of the subset based on the transmission schedule,

wherein the communicator is further configured to transmit announcement information to the RX node, the announcement information comprising an identification of the one or more RX nodes,

wherein;

the announcement information further comprises an assignment of the one or more RX nodes to a temporary subset;

the TX resonator is further configured to wirelessly transmit the initial energy to an additional RX node based on the temporary subset; and

wherein the channel information is estimated between the one or more RX nodes based on an analyzed RX energy waveform corresponding to the initial energy.

2. The power transmission apparatus of claim 1, wherein the TX resonator is further configured to wirelessly transmit energy to each of a plurality of subsets in an order during a transmission period based on the transmission schedule.

3. The power transmission apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to assign a time interval to the subset, based on the transmission schedule.

4. The power transmission apparatus of claim 3, wherein the TX resonator is further configured to wirelessly transmit the energy to the RX node during the predetermined time interval.

5. The power transmission apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communicator is further configured to:

receive additional channel information of a plurality of additional RX nodes, the additional channel information comprising respective additional mutual coupling coefficients of the additional RX nodes; and

the processor is further configured to;

classify an additional RX node from among the plurality of additional RX nodes having a mutual coupling coefficient equal to or less than a predetermined threshold into the subset.

6. The power transmission apparatus of claim 1, wherein the channel information further comprises information of a coupling between the RX node and a second RX node.

7. The power transmission apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to create a temporary subset comprising a plurality of RX nodes including an additional RX node;

and

the communicator is further configured to receive, from the additional RX node, additional channel information estimated based on energy transmitted from the TX resonator to the temporary subset.

8. The power transmission apparatus of claim 7, wherein the processor is further configured to generate a coupling coefficient matrix from the additional channel information, and to classify the additional RX node into the subset based on the coupling coefficient matrix.

9. The power transmission apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the processor is further configured to

estimate a transmission efficiency for the temporary subset, based on a TX energy waveform corresponding to the initial energy, and

determine the transmission schedule based on the transmission efficiency.

10. The power transmission apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine a time interval assigned to the subset during a transmission period.

18. The power transmission apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the subset further comprises at least one additional RX node; and

the TX resonator is further configured to transmit the energy to the RX node and each additional RX node in the subset simultaneously.

11. A power reception apparatus comprising:

a processor configured to;

estimate channel information based on a coupling between the power reception apparatus and an additional reception (RX) node;

a communicator configured to

transmit the channel information to a transmission (TX) node, and

receive, from the TX node, a transmission schedule based on the transmitted channel information,

wherein the processor is further configured to determine a subset of the power reception apparatus based on the received transmission schedule, wherein the subset comprises one or more RX nodes; and

an RX resonator configured to wirelessly receive energy corresponding to the subset from the TX node,

wherein the communicator is further configured to receive announcement information from the TX node, the announcement information comprising an identification of the additional RX node,

wherein;

the announcement information further comprises an assignment of the power reception apparatus and the additional RX node to a temporary subset;

the RX resonator is further configured to receive initial energy from the TX node based on the temporary subset; and

the processor is further configured to estimate the channel information based on the initial energy.

12. The power reception apparatus of claim 11, wherein the RX resonator is further configured to wirelessly receive the energy from the TX node during a time interval corresponding to the subset.

13. The power reception apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to assign a predetermined time interval in which the power reception apparatus is to receive the energy from the TX node based on the transmission schedule.

14. The power reception apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to analyze an RX energy waveform corresponding to the initial energy, and to estimate the channel information between the power reception apparatus and the additional RX node based on the RX energy waveform.

15. The power reception apparatus of claim 11, wherein:

the communicator is further configured to transmit, to the TX node, the channel information comprising a result indicating whether the coupling between the power reception apparatus and the additional RX node exists; and

the processor is further configured to generate the channel information based on the result.

16. The power reception apparatus of claim 11, wherein, in response to a mutual coupling coefficient corresponding to an RX energy waveform being greater than a threshold, the processor is further configured to determine that the power reception apparatus is coupled with the additional RX node.

17. The power reception apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is further configured to:

transmit the initial energy to the additional RX node;

determine a level of the coupling between the power reception apparatus and the additional RX node based on the transmitted initial energy; and

estimate the channel information based on the determined level of the coupling.