Structure having a power transmitting device

• US 7,956,495 B2
• Filed: 09/25/2008
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chamiraux Management LLC
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Jin, Mikimoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Wallis; Michael Rutland
• Application Number:
  US12/237,449
• Publication Number:
  US 20090079270A1
• Time in Patent Office: 985 Days
• Field of Search: 307/104
• US Class Current: 307/104
• 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 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00045 Authentication, i.e. circuits for checking compatibility between one component, e.g. a battery or a battery charger, and another component, e.g. a power source
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00304 Overcurrent protection

Abstract

A structure compliant with non-contact power transmission includes a placement member that includes a placement side, an electronic instrument including a non-contact power transmission power receiving device being placed on the placement side, a non-contact power transmission power transmitting device, and a position detection circuit that detects the positional relationship between a primary coil and a secondary coil. The power transmitting device detects the relative positional relationship between the primary coil and the secondary coil using a harmonic detection circuit, and drives an XY stage using an actuator to automatically position the primary coil with respect to the secondary coil, for example.

Claims

1. A structure having a power transmitting device comprising:

a placement member that includes a placement side on which an electronic instrument including a power receiving device having a secondary coil can be placed,

a power transmitting device having a primary coil that transmits power to the power receiving device,

an actuator that causes movement of a position of the primary coil of the power transmitting device in an XY plane, and

an XY stage that moves the position of the primary coil when driven by the actuator,

the primary coil being able to couple electromagnetically with a secondary coil of the power receiving device,

the power transmitting device including a position detection circuit,

the position detection circuit detecting a positional relationship between the primary coil and the secondary coil,

the position detection circuit being a harmonic detection circuit that detects a harmonic signal of a drive signal of the primary coil,

a resonant circuit including the primary coil being formed when the primary coil and the secondary coil are electromagnetically coupled in a state in which the center of the primary coil and the center of the secondary coil having a given positional relationship, the resonant circuit resonating with a harmonic of the driving signal of the primary coil, and a resonance peak signal being output from the harmonic detection circuit,

the power transmitting device further including;

a power transmission control device, the power transmission control device including a power-transmitting-side control circuit that controls power transmission to the power receiving device;

the harmonic detection circuit as the position detection circuit that detects the harmonic signal of the drive signal of the primary coil;

a calculation circuit that performs given calculations based on a detection signal from the harmonic detection circuit, and calculates the position of the center of the secondary coil;

and an actuator control circuit that controls the operation of the actuator that causes movement of the position of the primary coil in the XY plane,

the actuator control circuit driving the actuator to move the primary coil along a first axis to perform a first scan to detect the position of the secondary coil,

the calculation circuit calculating the coordinates of a midpoint of a line segment that connects two points at which the peak of the detection signal of the harmonic detection circuit is obtained during the first scan,

the actuator control circuit driving the actuator to move the primary coil along a second axis that perpendicularly intersects the first axis and passes through the midpoint calculated by the first scan to perform a second scan to detect the position of the secondary coil,

the calculation circuit calculating the coordinates of a midpoint of a line segment that connects two points at which the peak of the detection signal of the harmonic detection circuit is obtained during the second scan, and

the actuator control circuit driving the actuator to move the primary coil so that the position of the center of the primary coil coincides with the position of the midpoint calculated during the second scan.

2. The structure as defined in claim 1,

the placement member having a strength sufficient to withstand a given weight, and the primary coil and the secondary coil being electromagnetically coupled through the placement member.

3. The structure as defined in claim 1,

the placement member having a cutting portion in which the primary coil faces the secondary coil so that the primary coil and the secondary coil are electromagnetically coupled without the placement member interposed between the primary coil and the secondary coil.

4. The structure as defined in claim 1,

the placement side at least partially having a side parallel to a coil surface of the primary coil that is planar.

5. The structure as defined in claim 1,

the structure being a desk-shaped structure.

6. The structure as defined in claim 1,

the structure being a wall-shaped structure.

7. The structure as defined in claim 1,

the structure being a portable plate-shaped structure.

8. The structure as defined in claim 1,

the structure being a portable pad-shaped structure.

9. The structure as defined in claim 1,

a plurality of the electronic instruments being able to be placed on the placement side, and the power being simultaneously transmitted from the structure to the plurality of electronic instruments via non-contact power transmission.

10. The structure as defined in claim 1,

the power transmitting device intermittently driving the primary coil using a drive signal having a given frequency in order to detect an approach of the secondary coil.

11. A structure having a power transmitting device comprising:

a placement member that includes a placement side on which an electronic instrument including a power receiving device having a secondary coil can be placed,

a power transmitting device having a primary coil that transmits power to the power receiving device,

the primary coil being able to couple electromagnetically with a secondary coil of the power receiving device,

the power transmitting device including a position detection circuit,

the position detection circuit detecting a positional relationship between the primary coil and the secondary coil,

the position detection circuit being a harmonic detection circuit that detects a harmonic signal of a drive signal of the primary coil,

a resonant circuit including the primary coil being formed when the primary coil and the secondary coil are electromagnetically coupled in a state in which the center of the primary coil and the center of the secondary coil have a given positional relationship, the resonant circuit resonating with a harmonic of the driving signal of the primary coil, and a resonance peak signal being output from the harmonic detection circuit.

12. A structure having a power transmitting device comprising:

a placement member that includes a placement side on which an electronic instrument including a power receiving device having a secondary coil can be placed,

a power transmitting device having a primary coil that transmits power to the power receiving device,

an actuator that causes movement of the position of the primary coil of the power transmitting device in an XY plane, and

an XY stage that moves the position of the primary coil when driven by the actuator,

the primary coil being able to couple electromagnetically with a secondary coil of the power receiving device,

the power transmitting device including a position detection circuit,

the position detection circuit detecting a positional relationship between the primary coil and the secondary coil,

the power transmitting device further including;

a power transmission control device, the power transmission control device including a power-transmitting-side control circuit that controls power transmission to the power receiving device;

the harmonic detection circuit as the position detection circuit that detects the harmonic signal of the drive signal of the primary coil;

a calculation circuit that performs given calculations based on a detection signal from the harmonic detection circuit, and calculates the position of the center of the secondary coil;

and an actuator control circuit that controls the operation of the actuator that causes movement of the position of the primary coil in the XY plane,

the actuator control circuit driving the actuator to move the primary coil along a first axis to perform a first scan to detect the position of the secondary coil,

the calculation circuit calculating the coordinates of a midpoint of a line segment that connects two points at which the peak of the detection signal of the harmonic detection circuit is obtained during the first scan,

the actuator control circuit driving the actuator to move the primary coil along a second axis that perpendicularly intersects the first axis and passes through the midpoint calculated by the first scan to perform a second scan to detect the position of the secondary coil,

the calculation circuit calculating the coordinates of a midpoint of a line segment that connects two points at which the peak of the detection signal of the harmonic detection circuit is obtained during the second scan, and

the actuator control circuit driving the actuator to move the primary coil so that the position of the center of the primary coil coincides with the position of the midpoint calculated during the second scan.