MAGNETIC COUPLING UNIT AND MAGNETIC COUPLING SYSTEM

• US 20130113297A1
• Filed: 10/26/2012
• Published: 05/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Miyamoto, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 9,570,935 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/104
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• 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 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields
• 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 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence

Abstract

There are provided a magnetic coupling unit and a magnetic coupling system which are capable of reducing energy loss when operations using magnetic coupling between magnetic devices are performed. The magnetic coupling unit includes: one or more magnetic devices each capable of being magnetically coupled with other magnetic device in other unit; and one or more coupling reinforcing sections each reinforcing the magnetic coupling.

Claims

1. A magnetic coupling unit comprising:

one or more magnetic devices each capable of being magnetically coupled with other magnetic device in other unit; and

one or more coupling reinforcing sections each reinforcing the magnetic coupling.

2. The magnetic coupling unit according to claim 1, wherein

the coupling reinforcing section includes a first current generation section and a second current generation section electrically connected to each other, and

a flowing direction of a first current generated in the first current generation section is opposite to a flowing direction of a second current generated in the second current generation section.

3. The magnetic coupling unit according to claim 2, wherein an amount of the first current is larger than an amount of the second current.

4. The magnetic coupling unit according to claim 3, wherein a distance between the first current generation section and each of the magnetic devices is smaller than a distance between the second current generation section and each of the magnetic devices.

5. The magnetic coupling unit according to claim 2, wherein each of the magnetic devices is disposed between the first current generation section and the second current generation section.

6. The magnetic coupling unit according to claim 2, wherein each of the first current generation section and the second current generation section is disposed to be located between the magnetic device and the other magnetic device.

7. The magnetic coupling unit according to claim 2, wherein each of the first current generation section and the second current generation section includes an open coil or an open loop.

8. The magnetic coupling unit according to claim 1, wherein each of the coupling reinforcing sections performs a resonance operation.

9. The magnetic coupling unit according to claim 8, wherein a first resonance frequency in a resonance operation using the magnetic device at the time when an operation is performed with use of the magnetic coupling is different from a second resonance frequency in the resonance operation in the coupling reinforcing section.

10. The magnetic coupling unit according to claim 9, wherein the second resonance frequency is higher than the first resonance frequency.

11. The magnetic coupling unit according to claim 9, wherein the second resonance frequency is lower than the first resonance frequency.

12. The magnetic coupling unit according to claim 8, wherein a first resonance frequency in a resonance operation using the magnetic device at the time when an operation is performed with use of the magnetic coupling is substantially equal to a second resonance frequency in a resonance operation in the coupling reinforcing section.

13. The magnetic coupling unit according to claim 1, wherein each of the magnetic devices is electrically insulated from the coupling reinforcing sections.

14. The magnetic coupling unit according to claim 1, wherein

the magnetic coupling unit is configured as a feed unit with a power transmission section, the power transmission section including the magnetic device as a power transmission coil, and

the other magnetic device is provided in a power reception section in a unit to be fed with power as the other unit.

15. The magnetic coupling unit according to claim 1, wherein

the other magnetic device is provided in a power transmission section in a feed unit as the other unit, and

the magnetic coupling unit is configured as a unit to be fed with power including a power reception section, the power reception section including the magnetic device as a power reception coil.

16. The magnetic coupling unit according to claim 15, wherein the unit to be fed with power is an electronic unit.

17. A magnetic coupling system comprising a plurality of magnetic coupling units, each of the magnetic coupling units including one or more magnetic devices, wherein

the magnetic device in one of the magnetic coupling units is allowed to be magnetically coupled with the magnetic device in one of the remaining magnetic coupling units, and

one or more coupling reinforcing sections each reinforcing the magnetic coupling are provided in one or more of the magnetic coupling units and other unit, the other unit being separated from the magnetic coupling units.

18. The magnetic coupling system according to claim 17, wherein the coupling reinforcing section is provided in a reinforce unit as the other unit.

19. The magnetic coupling system according to claim 17, wherein the plurality of magnetic coupling units includes a feed unit with a power transmission section and one or more units to be fed with power, the power transmission section including the magnetic device as a power transmission coil, each of the units to be fed with power including a power reception section, and the power reception section including the magnetic device as a power reception coil, and

the magnetic coupling system is configured as a feed system performing power transmission with use of a magnetic field.