APPARATUS AND METHOD OF MATCHING IN A SOURCE-TARGET STRUCTURE

• US 20110266880A1
• Filed: 04/26/2011
• Published: 11/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Hong, Young Tack, Kim, Nam Yun, Park, Eun Seok, Ryu, Young Ho, Kwon, Sang Wook
• Granted Patent: US 9,583,963 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/104
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/005 Mechanical details of housing or structure aiming to accommodate the power transfer means, e.g. mechanical integration of coils, antennas or transducers into emitting or receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/50 using additional energy repeaters between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• 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 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries

Abstract

Provided is a source-target structure matching controlling apparatus and method that may perform matching control of a source-target structure while resonance power is transmitted and received through the source-target structure. The source-target structure matching controlling apparatus may include a target resonator to receive, from a resonance power transmitter, the resonance power through a magnetic-coupling, and a rectifier to rectify the resonance power to generate a DC voltage, and provide the DC voltage to a load. The source-target structure matching controlling apparatus may detect an impedance of the load and a variance in the impedance, and may transmit, to the resonance power transmitter, information associated with the variance in the impedance of the load.

Claims

1. An apparatus for controlling matching in a source-target structure that transmits and receives resonance power, the apparatus comprising:

a target resonator to receive resonance power through magnetic-coupling with a resonance power transmitter;

a rectifier to rectify the resonance power to generate a DC voltage, and to provide the DC voltage to a load;

a load sensor to detect an impedance of the load and a variation in the impedance of the load; and

a target communicating unit to transmit information associated with the variation in the impedance of the load to the resonance power transmitter.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the load sensor senses a voltage that is applied to the load and an amount of current that is flowing through the load, to detect the variation in the impedance of the load.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the target communicating unit comprises:

an in-band communicating unit to transmit information associated with the variation in the impedance of the load through a resonance frequency of the target resonator, to the resonance power transmitter; and

an out-band communicating unit to transmit information associated with the variation in the impedance of the load through a frequency band that is allocated for communication with the resonance power transmitter, to the resonance power transmitter.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the resonance power transmitter comprises:

a source communicating unit to receive information associated with the variation in the impedance of the load, from the target communicating unit; and

a matching-controller to perform impedance-matching of a source resonator based on the information associated with the variation in the impedance of the load.

5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the impedance-matching is performed to adjust an impedance to 50 ohms.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a received-power monitoring unit to monitor resonance power that is received from the resonance power transmitter;

a reflected-power monitoring unit to monitor a reflected-power of the received resonance power; and

a target matching controller (MCU) to control the matching-controller to perform impedance-matching when at least one of the reflected power and a variation in power to be used by the load is sensed.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the target MCU controls the matching-controller based on one of a first table that records a value of a variation in an impedance corresponding to a variation in the power to be used by the load, and a second table that records a value of a variation in an impedance corresponding to a charged level of the load.

8. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the target controller controls the target resonator to have the same impedance as the impedance of the load.

9. An apparatus for controlling matching in a source-target structure that transmits and receives resonance power, the apparatus comprising:

a source resonator to transmit resonance power through magnetic-coupling with a resonance power receiver;

a matching-controller to control impedance-matching of the source resonator;

a source power monitoring unit to monitor resonance power that is applied to the source resonator;

a reflected-power monitoring unit to monitor a reflected-power of the resonance power that is output from the source resonator; and

a source matching controller (MCU) to control the matching-controller to perform the impedance-matching of the source resonator, when at least one of the reflected power and a variation in power to be used by the resonance power receiver is sensed.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising:

a source communicating unit to receive information associated with the variation in the impedance of a load, from the resonance power receiver,

wherein the source MCU controls the matching-controller to perform the impedance-matching based on the information that is associated with the variation in the impedance of the load.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the matching-controller controls an impedance of the source resonator to be the same as the impedance of the load, and the impedance of the load being sensed by the resonance power receiver has a value between 10 ohms and 100 ohms.

12. A method of controlling matching in a source-target structure that transmits and receives resonance power, the method comprising:

detecting an impedance of a load connected with a resonance power receiver and a variation in the impedance of the load;

transmitting, to a resonance power transmitter, information that is associated with the variation in the impedance of the load; and

receiving, from the resonance power transmitter, resonance power based on the variation in the impedance.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the variation in the impedance of the load is detected by sensing a voltage that is applied to the load and an amount of current flowing through the load.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

receiving, by the resonance power transmitter, the information that is associated with the variation in the impedance of the load, and performing impedance-matching of a source resonator based on the information that is associated with the variation in the impedance of the load.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein the transmitting comprises transmitting, to the resonance power transmitter, the information that is associated with the variation in the impedance of the load and information that is associated with an identification of the resonance power receiver.

16. A method of controlling matching in a source-target structure that transmits and receives resonance power, the method comprising:

transmitting, to the resonance power receiver, the resonance power through a source resonator;

monitoring the resonance power that is output from the source resonator;

monitoring a reflected-power of the resonance power that is output from the source resonator; and

performing impedance-matching of the source resonator, when at least one of the reflected power or a variation in power to be used by the resonance power receiver is sensed.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

receiving, by the resonance power receiver, the resonance power through a target resonator;

monitoring the resonance power that is received by the target resonator;

monitoring a target reflected power of the resonance power that is received by the target resonator; and

performing, by the resonance power receiver, impedance-matching of the target resonator, when at least one of the target reflected power or a variation in power to be used by the load is sensed.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the impedance-matching of the target resonator is performed based on one of a first table that records a value of a variation in an impedance corresponding to a variation in the power to be used by the load and a second table that records a value of a variation in an impedance corresponding to a charged level of the load.

19. A wireless power apparatus for powering a load with received wireless power, the wireless power apparatus comprising:

a resonator to receive power wirelessly from a source through magnetic coupling with the source;

a sensor to detect an impedance of the load and to detect a variation in the impedance of the load, while the resonator is simultaneously receiving wireless power; and

a matching control unit (MCU) to transmit information about the impedance of the load and the variation in the impedance of the load, to the source.

20. The wireless power apparatus of claim 19, wherein the sensor detects the impedance of the load and the variation in the impedance of the load by sensing a voltage applied to the load and an amount of current flowing through the load.

21. The wireless power apparatus of claim 19, further comprising a matching controller to perform impedance matching between the resonator and the load.

22. The wireless power apparatus of claim 21, wherein the MCU transmits information to the source to enable the source to transmit an amount of wireless power that matches the amount of power to be used by the load.

23. The wireless power apparatus of claim 19, wherein the wireless power apparatus and the load are included in the same device.

24. The wireless power apparatus of claim 19, wherein, in response to the amount of power to be used by the load decreasing, the MCU transmits information to the source to indicate to the source to decrease the amount of resonance power that is transmitted.

25. The wireless power apparatus of claim 19, wherein, in response to the amount of power to be used by the load increasing, the MCU transmits information to the source to indicate to the source to increase the amount of resonance power that is transmitted.