POWER TRANSMISSION DEVICE, POWER TRANSMISSION METHOD, AND STORAGE MEDIUM

• US 20140306547A1
• Filed: 04/08/2014
• Published: 10/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Yanagawa, Katsuhiko
• Granted Patent: US 9,831,029 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 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices

Abstract

A power transmission device that wirelessly supplies power with a power receiving device includes a power transmission unit configured to wirelessly transmit power to a power receiving device, a receiving unit configured to receive a receiving power amount from the power receiving device, an evaluation unit configured to compare a reference value of the power receiving device and the receiving power amount and evaluate a transmission efficiency of power to the power receiving device based on a comparison result, and a transmission unit configured to transmit an evaluation result by the evaluation unit to the power receiving device.

Claims

1. A power transmission device comprising:

a power transmission unit configured to wirelessly transmit power to a power receiving device;

a receiving unit configured to receive a receiving power amount from the power receiving device;

an evaluation unit configured to compare a reference value of the power receiving device and the receiving power amount and to evaluate a transmission efficiency of power to the power receiving device based on a comparison result; and

a transmission unit configured to transmit an evaluation result by the evaluation unit to the power receiving device.

2. The power transmission device according to claim 1, further comprising a display unit configured to display the evaluation result by the evaluation unit.

3. The power transmission device according to claim 1,

wherein the evaluation unit determines that the transmission efficiency to the power receiving device has decreased if the receiving power amount is less than the reference value, and

wherein the transmission unit transmits the evaluation result indicating that the transmission efficiency has decreased.

4. The power transmission device according to claim 3, wherein if the evaluation unit determines that the transmission efficiency has decreased, the transmission unit transmits a transmission request for the receiving power amount to the power receiving device.

5. The power transmission device according to claim 1, further comprising a reference value management unit configured to determine the receiving power amount received by the receiving unit as the reference value,

wherein the evaluation unit is configured to compare the reference value and a receiving power amount newly received by the receiving unit after reception of the receiving power amount as the reference value.

6. The power transmission device according to claim 5, wherein the reference value management unit updates, if the receiving power amount newly received by the receiving unit is greater than the reference value, the reference value to the newly received receiving power amount.

7. The power transmission device according to claim 1,

wherein the power transmission unit transmits power to a plurality of power receiving devices,

wherein the evaluation unit compares a receiving power amount of each of the plurality of power receiving devices with a threshold, and if a receiving power amount of a first power receiving device from among the plurality of power receiving devices is less than or equal to the threshold, and a receiving power amount of a second power receiving device is greater than the threshold, evaluates that a problem with power reception has possibly occurred in the first power receiving device, and

wherein the transmission unit transmits to the first power receiving device the evaluation result indicating that a problem with power reception has possibly occurred in the first power receiving device.

8. The power transmission device according to claim 1,

wherein the receiving unit further receives the reference value, and

wherein the evaluation unit compares the reference value received by the receiving unit and the receiving power amount.

9. The power transmission device according to claim 1,

wherein the power transmission unit performs power transmission based on a wireless charging standard, and

wherein the receiving unit and the transmission unit respectively perform receiving and transmitting based on a wireless communication system having a broader communication area than that of communication performed based on the wireless charging standard.

10. A power transmission system including a power receiving device and a power transmission device configured to wirelessly transmit power to the power receiving device,

the power transmission device comprising:

a power transmission unit configured to wirelessly transmit power to the power receiving device;

a receiving power amount receiving unit configured to receive a receiving power amount from the power receiving device;

an evaluation unit configured to compare a reference value of the power receiving device and the receiving power amount, and to evaluate a transmission efficiency of power to the power receiving device based on a comparison result; and

an evaluation result transmission unit configured to transmit the evaluation result by an evaluation unit to the power receiving device, and

the power receiving device comprising;

a power receiving unit configured to wirelessly receive power from the power transmission device;

a receiving power amount transmission unit configured to transmit the receiving power amount of the power receiving unit to the power transmission device;

an evaluation result receiving unit configured to receive the evaluation result; and

a display unit configured to display the evaluation result.

11. A power transmission method executed by a power transmission device, the method comprising:

wirelessly transmitting power to a power receiving device;

receiving a receiving power amount from the power receiving device;

comparing a reference value of the power receiving device and the receiving power amount, and evaluating a transmission efficiency of power to the power receiving device based on the comparison result; and

transmitting the evaluation result to the power receiving device.

12. A power transmission method executed by a power transmission system including a power receiving device and a power transmission device configured to wirelessly transmit power to the power receiving device, the method comprising:

wirelessly transmitting power to the power receiving device by the power transmission device;

receiving a receiving power amount from the power receiving device by the power transmission device;

comparing a reference value of the power receiving device and the receiving power amount, and evaluating, by the power transmission device, a transmission efficiency of power to the power receiving device based on the comparison result;

transmitting the evaluation result to the power receiving device by the power transmission device;

wirelessly receiving power from the power transmission device by the power receiving device;

transmitting the receiving power amount to the power transmission device by the power receiving device;

receiving the evaluation result by the power receiving device, and

displaying the evaluation result by the power receiving device.

13. A computer-readable storage medium storing computer executable instructions that cause a computer to execute a power transmission method, the method comprising:

wirelessly transmitting power to a power receiving device;

receiving a receiving power amount from the power receiving device;

comparing a reference value of the power receiving device and the receiving power amount, and evaluating a transmission efficiency of power to the power receiving device based on the comparison result; and

transmitting the evaluation result to the power receiving device.