Power feeding apparatus, power receiving apparatus, power transfer system, power transfer method, portable apparatus, and timepiece

• US 6,525,996 B1
• Filed: 08/16/2000
• Issued: 02/25/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Miyazawa, Osamu
• Primary Examiner(s): Miska, Vit
• Assistant Examiner(s): GOODWIN, JEANNE M
• Application Number:
  US09/622,459
• Time in Patent Office: 923 Days
• Field of Search: 368/204, 368/203, 310/317, 310/319, 310/321, 310/328, 310/334
• US Class Current: 368/204
• CPC Class Codes: G04C 10/00 Arrangements of electric power supplies in time pieces circuits G04G19/00; mounting, assembling of components of electromechanical watches G04C3/008, of electronic watches G04G17/00
• CPC Class Codes: G04C 10/04 with means for indicating the condition of the power supply in general G01R31/36
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2207/20 Charging or discharging characterised by the power electronics converter
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/15 using ultrasonic waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/50 using additional energy repeaters between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 3/28 using discharge tubes with control electrode or semiconductor devices with control electrode to produce the intermediate ac
• CPC Class Codes: H10N 30/40 with electrical input and electrical output, e.g. functioning as transformers

Abstract

In a power feeding apparatus A1, a drive circuit 11 receives electrical power supplied from a power supply 10 and generates a driving signal V. In response to this, an actuator 12 vibrates, and this vibration is transmitted through vibration transmission members 14 and 20 to a converter 21 of a power receiving apparatus B1. The converter 21 includes a piezoelectric device. Accordingly, vibration is converted into voltage, thus generating an electromotive voltage Vg. The electromotive voltage Vg is rectified by a rectification circuit 23, and a large-capacitance capacitor 24 is charged with rectified voltage. A clock circuit 25 receives power from the large-capacitance capacitor 24 and measures time.

Claims

1. A power feeding apparatus for converting electrical energy into mechanical energy in the form of vibrations that are adapted to be input to a power receiving apparatus, the power feeding apparatus comprising:

an electrical power supply;

a drive circuit, in electrical communication with the electrical power supply, that outputs a drive signal;

a vibration exciter including

an excitation surface in which vibrations are induced,

a contact surface that is in communication with the excitation surface and that is adapted to mechanically contact and transmit at least some of the induced vibrations to the power receiving apparatus to thereby transfer mechanical energy to the power receiving apparatus, and

an actuator in electrode-less contact with the excitation surface, wherein the actuator receives the drive signal and induces the vibrations in the excitation surface in response to the drive signal.

2. A power feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the actuator comprises a piezoelectric device.

3. A power feeding apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a casing, and wherein the vibration exciter is part of the casing.

4. A power feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the actuator causes the vibration exciter to vibrate in a direction substantially perpendicular to the contact surface.

5. A power feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the actuator causes the vibration exciter to vibrate torsionally.

6. A power feeding apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the contact surface of the power feeding apparatus is in direct contact with a contact surface of the power receiving apparatus, so that direct energy transmission can be achieved without an intermediate element between the two contact surfaces.

7. A power receiving apparatus adapted to convert mechanical energy in the form of vibrations, adapted to be received from a power feeding apparatus, into electrical energy, the power receiving apparatus comprising:

a vibrator having a contact surface that is adapted to mechanically contact and receive vibrations from the power feeding apparatus and to vibrate in response to the received vibrations;

a converter, in electrode-less mechanical contact with the vibrator, that converts the vibrations of the vibrator into electrical energy, the converter also being in communication with an external circuit through which the electrical energy is transmitted; and

a secondary battery for storing electrical energy converted by the converter.

8. A power receiving apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the converter includes a piezoelectric device mechanically coupled to the vibrator that is displaced in response to the vibrations of the vibrator, and converts such displacement into a voltage.

9. A power receiving apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the vibrator and the converter are integrated, and the converter converts the vibrations of the vibrator into electrical energy in a resonance state.

10. A power receiving apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a casing to which the vibrator is connected.

11. A power receiving apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a casing formed in part by the vibrator.

12. A portable apparatus comprising a power receiving apparatus as set forth in claim 7, and further comprising a power-using unit activated by power supplied from the secondary battery.

13. A portable apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a receiving member formed in the vibrator into which a connecting member of a storage case is adapted to be inserted.

14. A portable apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the vibrator serves as a casing for the portable apparatus and has a protrusion formed therein which is adapted to be inserted into a concave portion of a storage case.

15. A timepiece comprising a power receiving apparatus as set forth in claim 7, and further comprising a clock unit for receiving power supplied from the secondary battery and for measuring time.

16. A power receiving apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the contact surface of the power feeding apparatus is in direct contact with a contact surface of the power feeding apparatus, so that direct energy transmission can be achieved without an intermediate element between the two contact surfaces.

17. A power transfer system, comprising:

a power feeding apparatus comprising

an electrical power supply;

a drive circuit, in electrical communication with the electrical power supply, that outputs a drive signal;

a vibration exciter including an excitation surface in which vibrations are induced, and a first contact surface that is in communication with the excitation surface and that vibrates in response to vibration of the excitation surface; and

an actuator in electrode-less contact with the excitation surface, wherein the actuator receives the drive signal and induces the vibrations in the excitation surface in response to the drive signal; and

a power receiving apparatus comprising

a vibrator including a second contact surface that is in mechanical contact with the first contact surface, that receives vibrations from the first contact surface, and that vibrates in response to the received vibrations;

a converter, in electrode-less mechanical contact with the vibrator, that converts the vibrations of the vibrator into electrical energy, the converter also being in communication with an external circuit through which the electrical energy is transmitted; and

a secondary battery for storing electrical energy converted by the converter;

wherein electrical energy is transferred from the power feeding apparatus to the power receiving apparatus by transmitting vibrations of the vibration exciter to the vibrator.

18. A power transfer system according to claim 17, wherein the vibration exciter protrudes from the power feeding apparatus and engages the vibrator of the power receiving apparatus.

19. A power transfer system according to claim 17, wherein one of the vibration exciter and the vibrator has a concave portion and the other has a convex portion, the concave portion and the convex portion being engageable with each other.

20. A power transfer system according to claim 17, wherein the drive circuit drives the actuator so that the vibration exciter vibrates at a frequency near a natural oscillation frequency of the vibrator.

21. A power transfer system according to claim 17, wherein the vibration exciter vibrates the vibrator intermittently and the converter converts the vibrations of the vibrator into electrical energy, including in the course of vibration attenuation.

22. A power transfer system according to claim 17, wherein the first contact surface is in direct contact with the second contact surface, so that direct energy transmission can be achieved without an intermediate element between the two contact surfaces.

23. A power transfer method for transferring electrical energy from a power feeding apparatus including a power supply, an actuator, and a vibration exciter to a power receiving apparatus including a vibrator, the power transfer method comprising the steps of:

generating an electrical driving signal with electrical energy from the power supply;

supplying the electrical driving signal to the actuator which is in electrode-less contact with the vibration exciter;

driving the actuator in response to the electrical driving signal to induce vibrations in the vibration exciter;

transferring the vibrations in the vibration exciter to the vibrator through direct mechanical contact between the vibration exciter and the vibrator, and converting vibrations in the vibrator into electrical energy.

24. A power transfer method for transferring electrical energy and data between a power feeding apparatus, including a first piezoelectric device in communication with a drive circuit, and a first vibration transmission member in electrode-less contact with the first piezoelectric device;

and a power receiving apparatus, including a second piezoelectric device in communication with an external circuit, and a second vibration transmission member in electrode-less contact with the second piezoelectric device, the power transfer method comprising the steps of;

bringing the first vibration transmission member into contact with the second vibration transmission member;

transferring electrical energy from the power feeding apparatus to the power receiving apparatus during a first predetermined time period;

transmitting first data from the power feeding apparatus to the power receiving apparatus during a second predetermined time period; and

transmitting second data from the power receiving apparatus to the power feeding apparatus during a third predetermined time period.

25. A power transfer method according to claim 24, wherein

the step of transferring electrical energy comprises the steps of:

applying a voltage to the first piezoelectric device to induce vibrations in the first piezoelectric device;

vibrating the first vibration transmission member with the vibrations of the first piezoelectric device;

vibrating the second vibration transmission member with the vibrations of the first vibration transmission member;

vibrating the second piezoelectric device with the vibrations of the second vibration member to generate a first electromotive voltage; and

generating electrical energy from the first electromotive voltage.

26. A power transfer method according to claim 25, wherein

the step of transferring first data further comprises the steps of:

applying a voltage to the first piezoelectric device in accordance with the first data to be transferred and vibrating the first piezoelectric device;

vibrating the first vibration transmission member with the vibrations of the first piezoelectric device;

vibrating the second vibration transmission member with the vibrations of the first vibration transmission member;

vibrating the second piezoelectric device with the vibrations of the second vibration transmission member to generate a second electromotive voltage; and

reading the first data based on the second electromotive voltage generated by the second piezoelectric device.

27. A power transfer method according to claim 25, wherein

the step of transferring second data comprises the steps of:

applying a voltage to the second piezoelectric device in accordance with the second data to be transferred to induce vibrations in the second piezoelectric device;

vibrating the second vibration transmission member with the vibrations of the second piezoelectric device;

vibrating the first vibration transmission member with the vibrations of the second vibration transmission member;

vibrating the first piezoelectric device with the vibrations of the first vibration transmission member to generate a third electromotive voltage; and

reading the second data based on the third electromotive voltage generated by the first piezoelectric device.

28. A power transfer method according to claim 24, wherein the bringing step comprises bringing the first vibration transmission member into direct contact with the second transmission member, so that direct energy transmission can be achieved without an intermediate element between the two transmission members.