CONTACTLESS POWER TRANSMITTING DEVICE, CONTACTLESS POWER RECEIVING DEVICE, VEHICLE, CONTACTLESS POWER TRANSMITTING AND RECEIVING SYSTEM, METHOD OF CONTROLLING CONTACTLESS POWER TRANSMITTING DEVICE, METHOD OF CONTROLLING CONTACTLESS POWER RECEIVING DEVICE, AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING CONTACTLESS POWER TRANSMITTING AND RECEIVING SYSTEM

• US 20140035358A1
• Filed: 07/01/2013
• Published: 02/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: ICHIKAWA, Shinji
• Granted Patent: US 9,531,442 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/9.1
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/03 for supply of electrical power to vehicle subsystems or for circuit arrangements for charging batteries H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/266 One coil at each side, e.g. with primary and secondary coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

A contactless power transmitting device that contactlessly transmits electric power to a power receiving device includes a transmitting unit and a power transmission controller. The transmitting unit transmits electric power at a variable transmission frequency. The power transmission controller sets the transmission frequency, based on frequency information concerning a frequency of a broadcast wave that can be received at a position of the contactless power transmitting device. The power transmission controller sets the transmission frequency so that one of the transmission frequency and the frequency of the broadcast wave differs from an integer multiple of the other thereof.

Claims

1. A contactless power transmitting device that contactlessly transmits electric power to a power receiving device, comprising:

a transmitting unit configured to transmit electric power at a variable transmission frequency; and

a power transmission controller configured to set the transmission frequency, based on frequency information concerning a frequency of a broadcast wave that can be received at a position of the contactless power transmitting device,

wherein the power transmission controller is configured to set the transmission frequency so that one of the transmission frequency and the frequency of the broadcast wave is different from an integer multiple of the other of the transmission frequency and the frequency of the broadcast wave.

2. The contactless power transmitting device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a receiver configured to receive the broadcast wave,

wherein the power transmission controller is configured to perform a frequency searching operation using the receiver, and obtain the frequency information based on a strength of the broadcast wave received by the receiver.

3. The contactless power transmitting device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a communication unit configured to receive the frequency information transmitted from the power receiving device, and transmit the received frequency information to the power transmission controller.

4. The contactless power transmitting device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a positional information obtaining unit configured to obtain positional information concerning a position of the contactless power transmitting device,

wherein the power transmission controller is configured to obtain the frequency information, based on information that associates a position at which the broadcast wave is received with the frequency of the broadcast wave, and the positional information.

5. The contactless power transmitting device according to claim 1, wherein the power transmission controller is configured to set the transmission frequency so that a noise frequency corresponding to an integer multiple of the transmission frequency differs from the frequency of the broadcast wave.

6. The contactless power transmitting device according to claim 1, wherein, in the presence of a plurality of candidate frequencies each of which can be set as the transmission frequency, the power transmission controller is configured to determine one of said plurality of candidate frequencies as the transmission frequency, based on an efficiency of transmission between the contactless power transmitting device and the power receiving device.

7. A contactless power receiving device that contactlessly receives electric power transmitted from a power transmitting device, comprising:

a power receiving controller configured to obtain frequency information concerning a frequency of a broadcast wave that can be received at a position of the contactless power receiving device;

a communication unit configured to transmit the frequency information obtained by the power receiving controller, to the power transmitting device; and

a power receiving unit configured to contactlessly receive electric power transmitted from the power transmitting device at a transmission frequency determined according to the frequency information,

wherein the transmission frequency is determined so that one of the transmission frequency and the frequency of the broadcast wave differs from an integer multiple of the other of the transmission frequency and the frequency of the broadcast wave.

8. The contactless power receiving device according to claim 7, further comprising:

a receiver configured to receive the broadcast wave,

wherein the power receiving controller is configured to perform a frequency searching operation using the receiver, before the power transmitting device transmits electric power, and obtain the frequency information based on a strength of the broadcase wave received by the receiver.

9. The contactless power receiving device according to claim 7, further comprising:

a positional information obtaining unit configured to obtain positional information concerning a position of the contactless power receiving device,

wherein, before the power transmitting device transmits electric power, the power receiving controller is configured to obtain the frequency information, based on information that associates a position at which the broadcast wave is received with the frequency of the broadcast wave, and the positional information.

10. A vehicle comprising:

the contactless power receiving device according to claim 7.

11. A contactless power transmitting and receiving system, comprising:

a power transmitting device configured to transmit electric power at a variable transmission frequency; and

a power receiving device configured to contactlessly receive electric power transmitted from the power transmitting device,

wherein the power transmitting device is configured to set the transmission frequency, based on frequency information concerning a frequency of a broadcast wave that can be received at a position of the power transmitting device, so that one of the transmission frequency and the frequency of the broadcast wave differs from an integer multiple of the other of the transmission frequency and the frequency of the broadcast wave.

12. The contactless power transmitting and receiving system according to claim 11, wherein the power transmitting device includes:

a transmitting unit configured to transmit electric power at the transmission frequency; and

a power transmission controller configured to obtain the frequency information, and set the transmission frequency based on the frequency information.

13. The contactless power transmitting and receiving system according to claim 12, wherein:

the power transmitting device further includes a receiver configured to receive the broadcast wave; and

the power transmission controller is configured to perform a frequency searching operation using the receiver, and obtain the frequency information based on a strength of the broadcast wave received by the receiver.

14. The contactless power transmitting and receiving system according to claim 12, wherein the power receiving device includes:

a power receiving unit configured to contactlessly receive electric power transmitted from the power transmitting device,

a power receiving controller configured to obtain the frequency information; and

a first communication unit configured to transmit the frequency information obtained by the power receiving controller, to the power transmitting device, and wherein

the power transmitting device further includes a second communication unit configured to receive the frequency information transmitted from the first communication unit, and transmit the received frequency information to the power transmission controller.

15. The contactless power transmitting and receiving system according to claim 14, wherein:

the power receiving device further includes a receiver configured to receive the broadcast wave; and

the power receiving controller is configured to perform a frequency searching operation using the receiver, and obtain the frequency information based on a strength of the broadcast wave received by the receiver.

16. The contactless power transmitting and receiving system according to claim 14, wherein:

the power receiving device further includes a positional information obtaining unit configured to obtain positional information concerning a position of the power receiving device; and

the power receiving controller is configured to obtain the frequency information, based on information that associates a position at which the broadcast wave is received with the frequency of the broadcast wave, and the positional information.

17. The contactless power transmitting and receiving system according to claim 12, wherein:

the power transmitting device further includes a positional information obtaining unit configured to obtain positional information concerning the position of the power transmitting device; and

the power transmission controller is configured to obtain the frequency information, based on information that associates a position at which the broadcast wave is received with the frequency of the broadcast wave, and the positional information.

18. The contactless power transmitting and receiving system according to claim 12, wherein the power transmission controller is configured to set the transmission frequency so that a noise frequency corresponding to an integer multiple of the transmission frequency differs from the frequency of the broadcast wave.

19. The contactless power transmitting and receiving system according to claim 12, wherein, in the presence of a plurality of candidate frequencies each of which can be set as the transmission frequency, the power transmission controller is configured to determine one of said plurality of candidate frequencies as the transmission frequency, based on an efficiency of transmission between the power transmitting device and the power receiving device.

20. A method of controlling a contactless power transmitting device that contactlessly transmits electric power to a power receiving device, comprising:

transmitting electric power at a variable transmission frequency; and

setting the transmission frequency, based on frequency information concerning a frequency of a broadcast wave that can be received at a position of the contactless power transmitting device,

wherein the transmission frequency is set so that one of the transmission frequency and the frequency of the broadcast wave differs from an integer multiple of the other of the transmission frequency and the frequency of the broadcast wave.

21. A method of controlling a contactless power receiving device that contactlessly receives electric power transmitted from a power transmitting device, comprising:

obtaining frequency information concerning a frequency of a broadcast wave that can be received at a position of the contactless power receiving device;

transmitting the obtained frequency information to the power transmitting device; and

contactlessly receiving electric power transmitted from the power transmitting device at a transmission frequency determined according to the frequency information,

wherein the transmission frequency is determined so that one of the transmission frequency and the frequency of the broadcast wave differs from an integer multiple of the other of the transmission frequency and the frequency of the broadcast wave.

22. A method of controlling a contactless power transmitting and receiving system, comprising:

transmitting electric power from a power transmitting device at a variable transmission frequency; and

contactlessly receiving, at a power receiving device, the electric power transmitted from the power transmitting device,

wherein the transmission frequency is set based on frequency information concerning a frequency of a broadcast wave that can be received at a position of the power transmitting device, so that one of the transmission frequency and the frequency of the broadcast wave differs from an integer multiple of the other of the transmission frequency and the frequency of the broadcast wave.