Charging device for batteries in a mobile electrical device

• US 6,028,413 A
• Filed: 09/18/1998
• Issued: 02/22/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Salcomp Oyi
• Original Assignee: Perdix Oy
• Inventors: Brockmann, Hans-Jurgen
• Primary Examiner(s): Wong, Peter S.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TOATLEY, GREGORY J
• Application Number:
  US09/156,467
• Time in Patent Office: 522 Days
• Field of Search: 320/108, 363/18, 363/22, 324/654, 324/655, 324/656, 324/657
• US Class Current: 320/108
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/60 responsive to the presence of foreign objects, e.g. detection of living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00308 Overvoltage protection

Abstract

A device for charging batteries is comprised of a mobile electrical device MD and a charging unit CU and inductively transmits electrical power by means of a alternating magnetic field from at least one primary winding W1, W2 to at least one secondary winding W3, W4 in the mobile device MD. According to the invention, the alternating magnetic field is generated by a self-oscillating push-pull oscillator which contains switches Q1, Q2 that are reciprocally connected with positive feedback and in each push-pull branch, contains a resonance circuit with the effective inductance of at least one primary winding W1 or W2 and with a circuit capacitance C1, C3 or C2, C4, wherein the primary windings W1 and W2 in the charging unit CU are disposed spatially separate from each other so that each generates a magnetic alternating field in a different spatial region and the secondary windings W3, W4 in the mobile device are disposed so that each spatial region is equally loaded.

Claims

1. A device for charging batteries in a mobile electrical device (MD) containing a charging unit (CU) which inductively transmits electrical power by means of a alternating magnetic field from at least two primary windings (W1, W2) to at least two secondary windings (W3, W4) in the mobile device (MD), characterized in that the alternating magnetic field is generated by a self-oscillating push-pull oscillator with two branches, wherein the push-pull oscillator contains switches (Q1, Q2) that are reciprocally connected with positive feedback and in each push-pull branch, contains a resonance circuit with the effective inductance of at least one primary winding (W1, W2) and with a circuit capacitance (C1, C3 or C2, C4), wherein the at least two primary windings (W1 and W2) in the charging unit (CU) are disposed spatially separate from each other so that each generates an alternating magnetic field in a different spatial region and the secondary windings (W3, W4) are disposed in the mobile device so that each spatial region is equally loaded.

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that the switches (Q1, Q2) are respectively connected with positive feedback by way of the circuit capacitance of the opposing push-pull branch, which capacitance is embodied as a capacitive voltage divider (C1, C3 or C2, C4).

3. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that in order to detect a no-load operation of the charging unit (CU), impedances (R1, R2) are contained in the push-pull branches in which control voltages for control means (R7, R8, COMP 3, LA) drop as a function of the power transmitted, and these control means set at least the push-pull oscillator into a low-power standby mode when the average of the control voltages, which correspond to operating currents (I1, I2) in the push-pull branches of the push-pull oscillator, is below a minimum value (U_REF).

4. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that in order to detect uneven loads of the magnetic field by means of foreign bodies, a control circuit (SC) detects inequalities in electrical operating values (I1, I2, U_D1, U_D2) in the push-pull branches and switches at least the push-pull oscillator into a low-power standby mode.

5. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that peak voltage values, which are formed by peak value formers (PV1, PV2) from the switching voltages (U_D1, U_D2) across the switches (Q1, Q2), are compared with one another by a first comparator (COMP 1) and that the control circuit (SC) switches at least the push-pull oscillator into the low-power standby mode as long as there is an inequality in the peak values.

6. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that a second comparator (COMP2) compares the voltage drops caused by the operating currents (I1, I2) at the impedances (R1, R2) and that the control circuit (SC) switches at least the push-pull oscillator into the low-power standby mode as long as there is an inequality.

7. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that the surfaces of the charging unit (CU) and the mobile device (MD) are shaped in the region of the alternating magnetic field so that only a correspondingly shaped mobile device (MD) that has come close to the charging unit (CU) evenly loads both spatial regions of the alternating magnetic field.

8. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that the low-power standby mode is adjusted by means of a pulsed supply of the operating current (I_IN =I1+I2) and/or input DC voltage (U_IN) at least to the push-pull oscillator.

9. The device according to claim 4, characterized in that the low-power standby mode is adjusted by means of a muting of the push-pull oscillator.

10. The device according to claim 8, characterized in that during the no-load and/or low-load operation of the push-pull oscillator or when a foreign body uneven loads the alternating magnetic field, a self-holding toggle switch (LA) produces the pulsed supply of the operating current (I_IN =I1+I2) at least to the push-pull oscillator so that this oscillator is periodically switched on for a period of time (T2) in order to check a coupling of the mobile electric device (MD) for the drawing of charging energy.

13. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that a second comparator (COMP2) compares the voltage drops caused by the operating currents (I1, I2) at the impedances (R1, R2) and that the control circuit (SC) switches at least the push-pull oscillator into the low-power standby mode as long as there is an inequality.

14. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that the low-power standby mode is adjusted by means of a pulsed supply of the operating current (I_IN =I1+I2) and/or input DC voltage (U_IN) at least to the push-pull oscillator.

15. The device according to claim 3, characterized in that the low-power standby mode is adjusted by means of a muting of the push-pull oscillator.

11. A mobile electrical device (MD) for inductive coupling to a charging unit having at least two primary windings (W1 and W2) which are disposed spatially separate from each other, the mobile electrical device (MD) containing two secondary windings (W3 and W4) for inductively receiving electrical power via means of the alternating magnetic field from said primary windings (W1 and W2) characterized in that the secondary windings (W3 and W4) are disposed spatially separate from each other and each of the secondary windings is disposed parallel to a separate circuit capacitance (C8.1 or C8.2) and forms a separate secondary resonance circuit wherein each secondary resonance circuit (C8.1, W3 or C8.2, W4) is connected separately with a charging rectifier diode (D3.1 or D3.2) to create a known two-way rectification.

12. The mobile electrical device (MD) according to claim 11, characterized in that the conducting directions of the charging rectifier diodes (D3.1 and D3.2) are arranged in such a manner that only that rectifier diode (D3.1 and D3.2) carries forward current I3 or I4 momentary via the corresponding secondary winding (W3 or W4) which is arranged opposite to that primary winding (W1 or W2) that has left the conducting state a short period before.