APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING RESONATOR OF WIRELESS POWER TRANSMISSION SYSTEM

• US 20140077613A1
• Filed: 09/11/2013
• Published: 03/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kwon, Sang Wook, Kim, Ki Young, Kim, Nam Yun, Kim, Dong Zo, Park, Yun Kwon, Ahn, Chi Hyung, Ryu, Young Ho, Yoon, Chang Wook, Choi, Jin Sung, Song, KeumSu
• Granted Patent: US 9,633,780 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/104
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/10 DC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/126 Methods for pairing a vehicle and a charging station, e.g. establishing a one-to-one relation between a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power receiver
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/36 by positioning the vehicle
• 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 2310/48 for electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• 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 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00304 Overcurrent protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00308 Overvoltage protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/69 Spread spectrum techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/22 Capacitive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A source device configured to transmit a magnetic field via magnetic resonance with a target device includes a source resonator including a plurality of loop circuits respectively configured to generate different magnetic fields each depending on a length of a corresponding one of the plurality of loop circuits, and a circuit selector configured to select one loop circuit among the plurality of loop circuits based on information associated with the target device.

Claims

1. A source device configured to transmit a magnetic field via magnetic resonance with a target device, the source device comprising:

a source resonator comprising a plurality of loop circuits respectively configured to generate different magnetic fields each depending on a length of a corresponding one of the plurality of loop circuits; and

a circuit selector configured to select one loop circuit among the plurality of loop circuits based on information associated with the target device.

2. The source device of claim 1, wherein the source resonator further comprises:

a plurality of capacitors respectively corresponding to the plurality of loop circuits; and

a plurality of first switches respectively corresponding to the plurality of loop circuits and each configured to connect a corresponding one of the plurality of capacitors to a corresponding one of the plurality of loop circuits.

3. The source device of claim 2, wherein the circuit selector is further configured to control the first switch corresponding to the selected loop circuit to connect the capacitor corresponding to the selected loop circuit to the selected loop circuit to cause the selected loop circuit to generate a magnetic field corresponding to the selected loop circuit.

4. The source device of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of capacitors has a capacitance determined based on the length of the loop circuit to which the capacitor corresponds.

5. The source device of claim 1, wherein the circuit selector is further configured to:

determine a magnitude of a magnetic field to be generated by the source resonator based on the information associated with the target device; and

select the one loop circuit among the plurality of loop circuits based on the determined magnitude of the magnetic field.

6. The source device of claim 5, wherein the information associated with the target device comprises distance information of a distance between the target device and the source device;

and

the circuit selector is further configured to determine the magnitude of the magnetic field to be generated by the source resonator based on the information of the distance between the target device and the source device.

7. The source device of claim 5, wherein the information associated with the target device comprises magnitude information of a magnetic field to be received by the target device;

and

the circuit selector is further configured to determine the magnitude of the magnetic field to be generated by the source resonator based on the magnitude information of the magnetic field to be received by the target device.

8. The source device of claim 1, wherein the source resonator comprises a plurality of second switches respectively corresponding to the plurality of loop circuits and each configured to supply a power to a corresponding one of the plurality of loop circuits.

9. The source device of claim 8, wherein the circuit selector is further configured to:

select a loop circuit to be used as a feeder among the plurality of loop circuits based on an input impedance of the target device; and

control the second switch corresponding to the selected loop circuit to supply the power to the selected loop circuit.

10. The source device of claim 1, further comprising a communication unit configured to receive either one or both of the information associated with the target device and information associated with a relay device by communicating with either one or both of the target device and the relay device.

11. The source device of claim 10, wherein the circuit selector is further configured to:

select either the target device or the relay device to receive a magnetic field transmitted by the source device based on the received information; and

select the one loop circuit among the plurality of loop circuits based on a result of the selecting of either the target device or the relay device.

12. The source device of claim 10, wherein the information associated with the relay device comprises any one or any combination of distance information of a distance between the relay device and the source device, information associated with the target device to which the relay device relays the magnetic field, and input impedance information of the relay device.

13. The source device of claim 10, wherein the circuit selector is further configured to:

determine a magnetic field transmission efficiency for each of the target device and the relay device based on the received information; and

select either the target device or the relay device based on the determined magnetic field transmission efficiencies.

14. A target device configured to receive a magnetic field via magnetic resonance with a source device, the target device comprising:

a target resonator comprising a plurality of loop circuits respectively configured to receive different magnetic fields each depending on a length of a corresponding one of the plurality of loop circuits; and

a circuit selector configured to select one loop circuit among the plurality of loop circuits based on information associated with the source device.

15. The target device of claim 14, wherein the target resonator comprises:

a plurality of capacitors respectively corresponding to the plurality of loop circuits; and

a plurality of first switches respectively corresponding to the plurality of loop circuits and each configured to connect a corresponding one of the plurality of capacitors to a corresponding one of the plurality of loop circuits.

16. The target device of claim 14, wherein the information associated with the source device comprises distance information of a distance between the source device and the target device;

and

the circuit selector is further configured to select the one loop circuit among the plurality of loop circuits based on the distance information of the distance between the source device and the target device.

17. The target device of claim 14, wherein the information associated with the source device comprises magnitude information of a magnetic field generated by the source device;

and

the circuit selector is further configured to select the one loop circuit among the plurality of loop circuits based on the magnitude information of the magnetic field generated by the source device.

18. The target device of claim 14, wherein the target resonator comprises a plurality of second switches respectively corresponding to the plurality of loop circuits and each configured to supply a power generated by the target resonator to a corresponding one of the plurality of loop circuits.

19. The target device of claim 18, wherein the circuit selector is further configured to:

select a loop circuit to be used as a feeder among the plurality of loop circuits based on an input impedance of the source device; and

control the second switch corresponding to the selected loop circuit to supply the power generated by the target resonator to the selected loop circuit.

20. The target device of claim 14, further comprising a communication unit configured to receive either one or both of the information associated with the source device and information associated with a relay device by communicating with either one or both of the source device and the relay device.

21. The target device of claim 20, wherein the circuit selector is further configured to:

select either the source device or the relay device as a device from which the target device is to receive a magnetic field based on the received information; and

select one loop circuit among the plurality of loop circuits based on a result of the selecting of either the source device or the relay device.

22. The target device of claim 20, wherein the circuit selector is further configured to:

determine a magnetic field reception efficiency for each of the source device and the relay device based on the received information; and

select either the source device or the relay device based on the determined magnetic field reception efficiencies.

23. A relay device configured to relay a magnetic field received from a source device to a target device via magnetic resonance with the source device, the relay device comprising:

a relay resonator comprising a plurality of loop circuits respectively configured to relay different magnetic fields each depending on a length of a corresponding one of the plurality of loop circuits; and

a circuit selector configured to select one loop circuit among the plurality of loop circuits based on information associated with the source device and information associated with the target device.

24. The relay device of claim 23, wherein the relay resonator comprises:

a plurality of capacitors respectively corresponding to the plurality of loop circuits; and

a plurality of first switches respectively corresponding to the plurality of loop circuits and each configured to connect a corresponding one of the plurality of capacitors to a corresponding one of the plurality of loop circuits.

25. The relay device of claim 24, wherein the circuit selector is further configured to control the first switch corresponding to the selected loop circuit to connect the capacitor corresponding to the selected loop circuit to the selected loop circuit to cause the selected loop circuit to relay a magnetic field corresponding to the selected loop circuit.

26. A method of operating a source device configured to transmit a magnetic field via magnetic resonance with a target device, the source device comprising a source resonator comprising a plurality of loop circuits, the method comprising:

selecting one loop circuit among the plurality of loop circuits of the source resonator based on information associated with the target device; and

generating a magnetic field corresponding to a length of the selected loop circuit.

27. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium storing a program for controlling a computer to perform the method of claim 26.

28. A method of operating a target device configured to receive a magnetic field via magnetic resonance with a source device, the target device comprising a target resonator comprising a plurality of loop circuits, the method comprising:

selecting one loop circuit among the plurality of loop circuits of the target resonator based on information associated with the source device; and

receiving a magnetic field corresponding to a length of the selected loop circuit.

29. A method of operating a relay device configured to relay to a target device a magnetic field received by the relay device via magnetic resonance with a source device, the relay device comprising a relay resonator comprising a plurality of loop circuits, the method comprising:

selecting one loop circuit among the plurality of loop circuits of the relay resonator based on information associated with the source device and the target device; and

relaying a magnetic field corresponding to a length of the selected loop circuit.

30. A source device configured to transmit a magnetic field via magnetic resonance with a target device, the source device comprising:

a source resonator configured to generate a magnetic field and having at least one controllable parameter affecting a wireless power transmission efficiency; and

a controller configured to control the at least one controllable parameter of the source resonator based on information associated with the target device.

31. The source device of claim 30, wherein the at least one controllable parameter comprises either one or both of an input impedance of the source resonator and a magnitude of the magnetic field generated by the source resonator.