BATTERY-CONTAINING UNIT AND CHARGING BASE

• US 20090278505A1
• Filed: 05/08/2009
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Satsuma, Eiji, TOYA, Shoichi, Terao, Kyozo, Mizoguchi, Yasunari
• Application Number:
  US12/437,761
• Publication Number:
  US 20090278505A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 320/152
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/052 Li-accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/60 responsive to the presence of foreign objects, e.g. detection of living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields
• 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 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A battery-containing unit and a charging base are a battery-containing unit includes a lithium ion battery, and a charging base to which the battery-containing unit to be charged is placed. The battery-containing unit includes a charging circuit that converts an alternating current produced in an energized coil into a direct current, and a transmitter that detects the voltage of the lithium ion battery and transmits a voltage signal to the charging base. The charging base includes a receiver that receives the signal from the transmitter and detects the voltage signal, and a high frequency power supply that provides AC power to the energizing coil The power supply of the charging base detects the voltage of the lithium ion battery through the receiver and the transmitter, and is controlled to charge the lithium ion battery so that the voltage of lithium ion battery does not exceed a predetermined voltage.

Claims

1. A battery-containing unit and a charging base, wherein the battery-containing unit includes an energized coil and a lithium ion battery to be charged by electric power produced in the energized coil, and the charging base that receives the battery-containing unit and charges the lithium ion battery of the battery-containing unit,

wherein said battery-containing unit comprises

a charging circuit that rectifies an alternating current produced in the energized coil to convert the alternating current into a direct current for charging the lithium ion battery,

a detecting circuit that detects the voltage of the lithium ion battery to be charged, and

a transmitter that transmits a voltage signal detected by the detecting circuit to the charging base,

wherein said charging base comprises

a receiver that receives signals transmitted from the transmitter of said battery-containing unit, and detects the voltage signal of the lithium ion battery,

an energizing coil to transmit AC power to said energized coil, and

a high frequency power supply that is controlled based on the voltage signal detected by the receiver to provide AC power to said energizing coil whereby charging the lithium ion battery at a voltage not greater than a predetermined voltage, and

wherein the high frequency power supply of the charging base detects the voltage of the lithium ion battery to be charged through the receiver and the transmitter, and is controlled based on the detected voltage to charge the lithium Ion battery at a voltage not exceeding the predetermined voltage.

2. The battery-containing unit and the charging base according to claim 1, wherein the detecting circuit of said battery-containing unit detects the voltage and the current of the lithium ion battery to be charged, and the transmitter of said battery-containing unit transmits the voltage signal and a current signal detected by the detecting circuit to the charging base, wherein the receiver of said charging base receives the signals transmitted from the transmitter of said battery-containing unit and detects the voltage signal and the current signal of the lithium ion battery, and the high frequency power supply of said charging base is controlled based on the voltage signal and the current signal detected by the receiver to provide AC power to said energizing coil whereby charging the lithium ion battery.

3. The battery-containing unit and the charging base according to claim 1, wherein the detecting circuit of said battery-containing unit detects the voltage and the temperature of the lithium ion battery to be charged, and the transmitter of said battery-containing unit transmits the voltage signal and a temperature signal detected by the detecting circuit to the charging base, wherein the receiver of said charging base receives the signals transmitted from the transmitter of said battery-containing unit and detects the voltage signal and the temperature signal of the lithium ion battery, and the high frequency power supply of said charging base is controlled based on the voltage signal and the temperature signal detected by the receiver to provide AC power to said energizing coil whereby charging the lithium ion battery.

4. The battery-containing unit and the charging base according to claim 1, wherein said battery-containing unit includes a feedback circuit that controls the high frequency power supply based on the signal detected by said receiver, wherein the high frequency power supply is controlled through the feedback circuit based on the signal detected by said receiver to charge the lithium ion battery.

5. The battery-containing unit and the charging base according to claim 4, wherein said feedback circuit controls the high frequency power supply based on the provided signal to charge the lithium ion battery at a constant voltage and a constant current.

6. The battery-containing unit and the charging base according to claim 4, wherein if the voltage of the lithium ion battery in charging operation becomes higher than a preset value, said feedback circuit controls the high frequency power supply to reduce the output of the high frequency power supply, and if the voltage of the lithium ion battery in the charging operation becomes lower than the preset value, said feedback circuit controls the high frequency power supply to increase the output of the high frequency power supply, so that the charging operation is controlled to bring the voltage of the lithium ion battery to the preset value.

7. The battery-containing unit and the charging base according to claim 2, wherein said battery-containing unit includes a feedback circuit that controls the high frequency power supply based on the signal detected by said receiver, wherein in the operation where the lithium Ion battery is charged at a constant current, if a charging current is smaller than a preset value, the feedback circuit controls the high frequency power supply to increase the output of the high frequency power supply, and if the charging current is greater than the preset value, the feedback circuit controls the high frequency power supply to reduce the charging current, so that the charging current is brought to the preset value.

8. The battery-containing unit and the charging base according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter of said battery-containing unit includes a modulating circuit that modulates carrier waves according to the voltage of the lithium ion battery, and a transmitting antenna that wirelessly transmits a signal modulated by the modulating circuit by radio waves, wherein the receiver of said charging base includes a receiving antenna that receives the radio waves wirelessly transmitted from the transmitter, and a receiving circuit that demodulates the signal received by the receiving antenna to detect the voltage signal.

9. The battery-containing unit and the charging base according to claim 8, wherein said transmitter modulates the carrier waves in the ASK manner according to the signal provided from the detecting circuit, and transmits the modulated signal by radio waves through the transmitting antenna.

10. The battery-containing unit and the charging base according to claim 8, wherein the transmitting antenna of said transmitter is arranged in proximity to the energized coil, and the receiving antenna of said receiver is arranged in proximity to the energizing coil.

11. The battery-containing unit and the charging base according to claim 1, wherein the transmitter of said battery-containing unit transmits the voltage signal of the lithium ion battery to the charging base through the energized coil and the energizing coil.

12. The battery-containing unit and the charging base according to claim 11, wherein the transmitter of said battery-containing unit includes a switching element that controls ON/OFF switching timing based on the voltage signal of the lithium ion battery and is connected to the output side of the energized coil, wherein the load impedance of the energized coil is controlled by the ON/OFF switching of the switching element so that the voltage signal of the lithium ion battery is transmitted to the charging base.

13. The battery-containing unit and the charging base according to claim 12, wherein said transmitter includes a control circuit that controls, based on the voltage signal of the lithium ion battery, a switching-ON period of the switching element.

14. The battery-containing unit and the charging base according to claim 12, wherein said transmitter includes a control circuit that controls, based on the voltage signal of the lithium ion battery, an ON state time width of the switching element.

15. The battery-containing unit and the charging base according to claim 11, wherein said transmitter provides high frequency output to the energized coil through a coupling capacitor.

16. The battery-containing unit and the charging base according to claim 11, wherein said receiver includes a coupling capacitor that provides the receiving circuit with high frequency output produced in the energizing coil.

17. The battery-containing unit and the charging base according to claim 12, wherein said battery-containing unit comprises an impedance element that is serially connected to said switching element, wherein a serial connection circuit of the switching element and the impedance element is connected to the energized coil.

18. The battery-containing unit and the charging base according to claim 17, wherein said impedance element is a capacitor.

19. The battery-containing unit and the charging base according to claim 11, wherein said transmitter includes a modulating circuit that modulates carrier waves according to the voltage of the lithium ion battery, wherein the carrier waves modulated by the modulating circuit is provided to the energized coil, wherein the receiver of said charging base includes a receiving circuit that demodulates the carrier waves transmitted from the energized coil to the energizing coil and detects the voltage signal.

20. The battery-containing unit and the charging base according to claim 1, wherein said battery-containing unit comprises a detachable battery pack, wherein the battery pack includes the lithium ion battery, a shield film that shields the lithium ion battery from an AC magneto field of the energizing coil, the charging circuit for the lithium ion battery, and the transmitter that transmits the voltage signal of the lithium ion battery to the charging base.