WIRELESS POWER TRANSFER SYSTEM AND WIRELESS POWER TRANSFER METHOD

• US 20170018971A1
• Filed: 09/27/2016
• Published: 01/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Oshima, Hirotaka, Ozaki, Kazuyuki
• Granted Patent: US 10,374,460 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 50/005 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 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment

Abstract

A wireless power transfer system includes a first transmitter coil, a second transmitter coil and a third transmitter coil arranged such that normal directions to planes of the first, the second and the third transmitter coils are orthogonal to each other in a three-dimensional space, and a controller that controls electric currents supplied to the first, the second and the third transmitter coils such that a synthetic magnetic field vector produced by the first, the second and the third transmitter coils rotates in a plane of rotation at a first angular frequency “ω”, and that a normal vector to the plane of rotation rotates about an axis of rotation perpendicular to the normal vector at a second angular frequency “a” equal to or smaller than the first angular frequency (a≦ω).

Claims

1. A wireless power transfer system comprising:

a first transmitter coil, a second transmitter coil, and a third transmitter coil arranged such that normal directions to planes of the first, the second and the third transmitter coils are orthogonal to each other in a three-dimensional space, and

a controller that controls electric currents supplied to the first transmitter coil, the second transmitter coil and the third transmitter coil such that a synthetic magnetic field vector produced by the first transmitter coil, the second transmitter coil and the third transmitter coil rotates in a plane of rotation at a first angular frequency “

ω

”

, and that a normal vector to the plane of rotation rotates about an axis of rotation perpendicular to the normal vector at a second angular frequency “

a”

equal to or smaller than the first angular frequency.

2. The wireless power transfer system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the controller controls a strength of a magnetic field component along a direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the normal vector to 1/√

2 times the original strength.

3. The wireless power transfer system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a first power source connected to the first transmitter coil, a second power source connected to the second transmitter coil, and a third power source connected to the third transmitter coil,

wherein the controller controls the first power source such that a first magnetic field component produced by the first transmitter coil in a first direction changes with time in proportion to −

sin(at)*cos(ω

t), controls the second power source such that a second magnetic field component produced by the second transmitter coil in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction changes with time in proportion to cos(at)*cos(ω

t), and controls the third power source such that a third magnetic field component produced by the third transmitter coil in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction changes with time in proportion to α

*sin(ω

t), where α

is equal to 1 or 1/√

2 (α

=1 or 1/√

2).

4. The wireless power transfer system as claimed in claim 1,

wherein the wireless power transfer system is configured to transfer electric power to a power receiver with a receiver coil that has a same resonant frequency as the first transmitter coil, the second transmitter coil, and the third transmitter coil.

5. The wireless power transfer system as claimed in claim 4,

wherein an electric power oscillating with period π

/a is transferred to the receiver coil.

6. A wireless power transfer method comprising:

setting a first transmitter coil, a second transmitter coil, and a third transmitter coil such that normal directions to planes of the first, the second and the third transmitter coils are orthogonal to each other in a three-dimensional space;

placing a power receiver in the three-dimensional space formed by the first transmitter coil, the second transmitter coil, and the third transmitter coil; and

controlling electric currents supplied to the first transmitter coil, the second transmitter coil and the third transmitter coil such that a synthetic magnetic field vector produced by the first transmitter coil, the second transmitter coil and the third transmitter coil rotates in a plane of rotation at a first angular frequency “

ω

”

, and that a normal vector to the plane of rotation rotates about an axis of rotation perpendicular to the normal vector at a second angular frequency “

a”

equal to or smaller than the first angular frequency.

7. The wireless power transfer method as claimed in claim 6,

wherein a strength of a magnetic field component along a direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the normal vector is controlled to 1/√

2 time the original strength.

8. The wireless power transfer method as claimed in claim 6, further comprising:

connecting a first power source to the first transmitter coil;

connecting a second power source to the second transmitter coil;

connecting a third power source to the third transmitter coil; and

controlling the first power source such that a first magnetic field component produced by the first transmitter coil in a first direction changes with time in proportion to −

sin(at)*cos(ω

t);

controlling the second power source such that a second magnetic field component produced by the second transmitter coil in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction changes with time in proportion to cos(at)*cos(ω

t); and

controlling the third power source such that a third magnetic field component produced by the third transmitter coil in a third direction perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction changes with time in proportion to α

*sin(ω

t), where α

is equal to 1 or 1/√

2 (α

=1 or 1/√

2).

9. The wireless power transfer method as claimed in claim 6,

wherein a resonant frequency of a receiver coil of the power receiver is the same as that of the first transmitter coil, the second transmitter coil, and the third transmitter coil.

10. The wireless power transfer method as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:

receiving at the power receiver an electric power oscillating with period π

/a.