Wireless power transmission audio system and device on transmitting end and loudspeaker for use in such a system

• US 8,929,563 B2
• Filed: 12/19/2011
• Issued: 01/06/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kinoshita, Keisuke, Kawamura, Junichi, Okamura, Shutai
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhang, Leshui
• Application Number:
  US13/329,457
• Publication Number:
  US 20120163619A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,114 Days
• Field of Search: 381/77, 381/78, 381/79, 381/82, 381/85, 381/332, 381/334, 381/315, 381/311, 381/303, 381/307, 381/300, 381/323, 455/39, 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/573, 455/575.2, 455/571, 367/180, 367/181, 367/182, 367/185, 367/189, 700/94
• US Class Current: 381/79
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• 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: H04L 25/4902 Pulse width modulation; Pulse position modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2420/07 Applications of wireless loudspeakers or wireless microphones

Abstract

The transmitter of a wireless power transmission audio system includes: a transmission signal generating section for generating a transmission signal comprised of an RF signal; a first resonant circuit which receives and sends out the transmission signal; a detecting section for sensing a variation in the transmission signal; and a transmission signal adjusting section. The loudspeaker of the system includes: a second resonant circuit for receiving the transmission signal by producing a magnetic field resonant coupling phenomenon; and an audio output section for reproducing the audio signal. At least one of the transmitter and the loudspeaker includes an impedance adjusting section which changes an impedance value on the transmission line of the transmission signal. When the impedance adjusting section changes the impedance value, the transmission signal adjusting section changes the signal waveform of the transmission signal.

Claims

1. A wireless power transmission audio system comprising:

a device on a transmitting end; and

a loudspeaker which is associated with the device on the transmitting end, the wireless power transmission audio system being configured to transmit electric power and an audio signal wirelessly from the device on the transmitting end to the loudspeaker,

wherein the device on the transmitting end includes;

a transmission signal generating circuit configured to generate a transmission signal which is comprised of an RF signal for use to transmit the electric power and the audio signal;

a first resonant circuit which receives and sends out the transmission signal and a resonant frequency of the first resonant circuit is equal to a frequency of the RF signal;

a detecting circuit configured to sense a variation in the transmission signal; and

a transmission signal adjusting circuit configured to control a signal waveform of the transmission signal, and

wherein the loudspeaker includes;

a second resonant circuit, which receives at least a part of the transmission signal that has been sent out by the first resonant circuit, where the first resonant circuit and the second resonant circuit are coupled with each other by a magnetic resonant coupling phenomenon or an electric field resonant coupling phenomenon at the resonant frequency when the second resonant circuit receives the at least a part of the transmission signal; and

an audio output circuit configured to reproduce the audio signal in accordance with a signal supplied from the second resonant circuit, and

wherein at least one of the device on the transmitting end and the loudspeaker includes an impedance adjusting circuit which is connected to the first or second resonant circuit and which changes an impedance value on a transmission line of the transmission signal according to the variation of the transmission signal that has been sensed by the detecting circuit, and

wherein, when the impedance adjusting circuit changes the impedance value, the transmission signal adjusting circuit changes a signal waveform of the transmission signal at the device on the transmitting end.

2. The wireless power transmission audio system of claim 1, wherein the transmission signal generating circuit includes a PWM signal generating circuit configured to generate a pulse-width-modulated audio signal, and

wherein the transmission signal is obtained by multiplying the pulse-width-modulated audio signal and the RF signal together.

3. The wireless power transmission audio system of claim 2, wherein the transmission signal adjusting circuit includes an amplitude control circuit configured to control an amplitude of the pulse-width-modulated audio signal.

4. The wireless power transmission audio system of claim 2, wherein the transmission signal adjusting circuit includes a pulse width control circuit configured to control the pulse width of the pulse-width-modulated audio signal.

5. The wireless power transmission audio system of claim 2, wherein in a no-signal interval between pulses of the transmission signal, which is defined by the pulse-width-modulated audio signal, the impedance adjusting circuit changes the impedance value.

6. The wireless power transmission audio system of claim 2, further comprising a control circuit, which outputs a control signal to the impedance adjusting circuit and the transmission signal adjusting circuit in accordance with a signal supplied from the detecting circuit,

wherein the control circuit includes a storage circuit, which stores relative positions that have been detected by the detecting circuit and also stores information about how transfer efficiency between the first and second resonant circuits changes with the impedance value that has been set by the impedance adjusting circuit, and

wherein the control circuit performs a control so that a product of an amplitude of the pulse-width-modulated audio signal and a pulse width of the pulse-width-modulated signal remains the same before and after the impedance value has been changed by the impedance adjusting circuit, thereby keeping volume of the audio output through the audio output circuit unchanged.

7. The wireless power transmission audio system of claim 1, wherein the detecting circuit senses a variation to be caused in the transmission signal depending on relative positions of the first and second resonant circuits, and

wherein in accordance with a signal supplied from the detecting circuit, the impedance adjusting circuit controls the impedance value and the transmission signal adjusting circuit controls the signal waveform of the transmission signal.

8. The wireless power transmission audio system of claim 7, wherein by sensing a variation in the signal waveform of the transmission signal at the first resonant circuit, the detecting circuit determines the relative positions of the first and second resonant circuits.

9. The wireless power transmission audio system of claim 7, wherein by sensing a variation in the signal waveform of the transmission signal at the transmission signal generating circuit, the detecting circuit determines the relative positions of the first and second resonant circuits.

10. The wireless power transmission audio system of claim 1, wherein in accordance with an output of the detecting circuit, the impedance adjusting circuit changes the impedance value discretely and the transmission signal adjusting circuit changes the signal waveform of the transmission signal stepwise.

11. The wireless power transmission audio system of claim 1, wherein the loudspeaker includes the impedance adjusting circuit, and

wherein the device on the transmitting end further includes a control signal transmitting circuit configured to send a control signal to the loudspeaker'"'"'s impedance adjusting circuit, and

wherein the loudspeaker'"'"'s impedance adjusting circuit changes the impedance value in accordance with the control signal.

12. The wireless power transmission audio system of claim 1, wherein the impedance adjusting circuit includes a first impedance adjusting circuit and a second impedance adjusting circuit, and the device on the transmitting end includes the first impedance adjusting circuit and the loudspeaker includes the second impedance adjusting circuit.

13. The wireless power transmission audio system of claim 1, wherein the loudspeaker includes:

an envelope detecting circuit configured to detect an envelope of a signal that has been received by the second resonant circuit;

a low-pass filter circuit configured to retrieve the audio signal based on an output of the envelope detecting circuit; and

an audio converting circuit configured to reproduce audio based on an output of the low-pass filter circuit.

14. The wireless power transmission audio system of claim 1, wherein, after the transmission signal adjusting circuit has changed the signal waveform of the transmission signal, the first resonant circuit receives the transmission signal.