Equipment and method for transmitting electric power

• US 5,991,170 A
• Filed: 10/01/1998
• Issued: 11/23/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 02/03/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Suzuki, Kuniharu, Nagai, Tamiji, Takei, Toshitaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Berhane, Adolf Deneke
• Application Number:
  US09/155,600
• Time in Patent Office: 418 Days
• Field of Search: 363/16, 363/20, 363/21, 363/95, 363/97, 363/98, 363/131, 363/132
• US Class Current: 363/20
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00712 the cycle being controlled or terminated in response to electric parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/33507 with automatic control of the output voltage or current, e.g. flyback converters H02M3/33561, H02M3/33569 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/10 Technologies improving the efficiency by using switched-mode power supplies [SMPS], i.e. efficient power electronics conversion e.g. power factor correction or reduction of losses in power supplies or efficient standby modes

Abstract

In an electric power transmission device which transmits electric power between a primary coil and a secondary coil, a resonant frequency of the secondary coil side is arranged to become higher than a frequency of an oscillation signal of the primary coil side, so that a capacitance can be made small and the coupling coefficient of the primary coil and the secondary coil can be made high. Thus, efficiency of power transmission from the primary coil side to the secondary coil side can be improved.

Claims

1. An electric power transmission device for transmitting electric power between a primary coil and a secondary coil, comprising:

signal generating means for generating and transmitting an oscillation signal having a fixed frequency;

current supplying means for supplying current to said primary coil;

driving means for drive-controlling a conduction and interruption of said current from said current supplying means to said primary coil at the frequency of said oscillation signal;

said primary coil generating a time-varying magnetic flux at said frequency of said oscillation signal caused by the conduction and interruption of said current by said driving control means;

said secondary coil having a capacitance element connected thereto in parallel for generating an induced electromotive force in accordance with a linkage of said time-varying magnetic flux produced by said primary coil, and for oscillating an induced current generated using said induced electromotive force between said capacitance element and said secondary coil with a frequency higher than said frequency of said oscillation signal as a resonant frequency, wherein said electric power is transmitted from said primary coil to said secondary coil by generating said induced electromotive force in said secondary coil by the linkage of said time-varying magnetic generated in said primary coil.

2. The electric power transmission device according to claim 1, wherein said secondary coil rectifies and outputs said induced current generated when the conduction of said current to said primary coil is interrupted.

3. The electric power transmission device according to claim 1, wherein said primary coil and said secondary coil wound around cores having fixed shapes, respectively, and centers of said respective cores are shifted relative to each other.

4. The electric power device according to claim 3, wherein said core having said primary coil wound thereon is formed so that a cross sectional area thereof is larger than a cross sectional area of said core having said secondary coil wound thereon.

5. The electric power transmission device according to claim 1, comprising:

detecting means for detecting predetermined parameter variations which occur in said primary coil;

controlling means for transmitting one of a first and a second control signal in accordance with a detection result of said detecting means; and

periodic oscillation means for periodically supplying said oscillation signal to said driving means at every fixed timing only for a fixed period of time in when the first control signal is supplied, and for supplying said oscillation signal continuously to said driving means when said second control signal is supplied.

6. The electric power transmission device according to claim 1, comprising:

a tertiary coil provided separately from said primary coil and secondary coil;

detecting means for detecting predetermined parameter variations which occur in said tertiary coil;

control means for transmitting one of a first and second control signal in accordance with a detection result of said detecting means; and

periodic oscillating means for supplying said oscillation signal to said driving means at every fixed timing for a fixed period of time when said first control signal is supplied, and for supplying said oscillation signal continuously to said driving means when said second control signal is supplied.

7. The electric power transmission device according to claim 6, wherein said tertiary coil is positioned in the vicinity of said secondary coil within a range of the linkage of said magnetic flux produced by said primary coil.

8. The electric power transmission device according to claim 6, wherein said tertiary coil is positioned facing a piece of metal placed at a fixed position in an electronic equipment having said secondary coil, and said power transmission device further comprising:

second signal generating means for generating and transmitting a second oscillation signal having a fixed frequency;

second current supplying means for supplying a current to said tertiary coil; and

second driving means for drive-controlling a conduction and interruption of said current supplied from said second electric power supplying means to said tertiary coil, at a frequency of said second oscillation signal.

9. An electric power transmission method for transmitting electric power between a primary coil and a secondary coil which are out of contact with each other, comprising the steps of:

drive-controlling a current conduction and interruption of current to said primary coil in accordance with an oscillation signal having a predetermined frequency;

generating a time-varying magnetic flux at the frequency of said oscillation signal in said primary coil by said conduction and interruption of the current by said driving control means; and

transmitting said electric power from said primary coil to said secondary coil by generating an induced electromotive force in said secondary coil by the linkage of said generated magnetic flux in said primary coil, wherein an induced current generated by said induced electromotive force is resonated with a frequency higher than the frequency of said oscillation signal.

10. The electric power transmission method according to claim 9, wherein said inducted current generated in said secondary coil is rectified and outputted when the conduction of said current to said primary coil is interrupted.

11. The electric power transmission method according to claim 9, wherein said primary coil and said secondary coil are wound around cores having respective prescribed forms are placed at the positions and further comprising shifting centers of said respective cores relative to each other.

12. The electric power transmission method according to claim 11, wherein a cross sectional area of said core having said primary coil wound thereon is arranged to be larger than a separate cross sectional area of said core having said secondary coil wound thereon.

13. The electric power transmission method according to claim 9, further comprising:

a detecting step of detecting predetermined parameter variations which occur in said primary coil;

a control step of transmitting one of a first and a second control signal in accordance with a detection result in said detecting step; and

a periodic oscillation switching step of periodically drive-controlling the conduction and interruption to said primary coil at every fixed timing for a fixed period of time in when said first control signal is supplied, and of continuously drive-controlling the conduction and interruption to said primary coil in when said second control signal is supplied.

14. The electric power transmission method according to claim 9, further comprising:

a detecting step of detecting prescribed parameter variations which occur in a tertiary coil provided separately from said primary coil and said secondary coil;

a control step of transmitting one of a first and a second control signal in accordance with a detection result in said detecting step; and

a periodic oscillation switching step of periodically drive-controlling the conduction and interruption to said primary coil at every predetermined timing for a fixed period of time in when said first control signal is supplied, and of continuously drive-controlling the induction and interruption to said primary coil in when said second control signal is supplied.