Power transmitter, power receiver and power transmission and reception system

• US 9,094,051 B2
• Filed: 02/28/2013
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 06/01/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Kajihara, Hirotsugu, Horiguchi, Tomoya, Seto, Ichiro, Miyasaka, Toshiki, Kumaki, Yoshinari, Toshimitsu, Kiyoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hanidu, Ganiyu A
• Application Number:
  US13/780,047
• Publication Number:
  US 20130324038A1
• Time in Patent Office: 880 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1, 455/522, 455/572, 455/41.2, 455/574, 455/573, 455/343.1, 455/67.11, 455/41.3, 455/553.1, 455/66, 455/88, 455/115, 455/127
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a power transmission and reception system includes a power transmitter and a power receiver. The power transmitter includes a power transmission module configured to wireless-transmit power to the power receiver; and a first wireless communication module configured to perform wireless communication of data frame having data with the power receiver. The power receiver includes a power reception module configured to receive the power transmitted from the power transmission module; and a second wireless communication module configured to perform wireless communication of the data frame with the first wireless communication module using the received power. The second wireless communication module is configured to perform wireless communication while the power reception module is not receiving the power.

Claims

1. A power transmission and reception system comprising a power transmitter and a power receiver,

wherein the power transmitter comprises:

a power transmission module configured to wirelessly transmit power to the power receiver; and

a first wireless communication module configured to perform wireless communication of a data frame comprising data with the power receiver;

wherein the power receiver comprises;

a power reception module configured to receive the power transmitted from the power transmission module; and

a second wireless communication module configured to perform wireless communication of the data frame with the first wireless communication module using the received power;

wherein the second wireless communication module is configured to perform wireless communication while the power reception module is not receiving the power;

wherein the second wireless communication module is configured to perform the wireless communication of a controller frame comprising a control signal with the power transmitter; and

wherein an interference tolerance of the control frame is larger than an interference tolerance of the data frame.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the power reception module comprises:

a coil configured to receive an electric wave configured to transmit the power;

a power reception controller configured to convert the electric wave to a current; and

a charge keeping module configured to accumulate charge by the current; and

wherein the power receiver further comprises;

a charge monitor configured to monitor an amount of charge accumulated in the charge keeping module; and

a controller configured to stop a power transmission and to start the wireless communication by the second wireless communication module when the amount of charge accumulated in the charge keeping module is above a first threshold.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to stop the power transmission from the power transmitter by changing a load resistance of the coil when the amount of charge accumulated in the charge keeping module is above the first threshold.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to stop the wireless communication by the second wireless communication module and to restart the power transmission from the power transmitter when the amount of charge accumulated in the charge keeping module is below a second threshold.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the power receiver further comprises a memory accessible by the controller, data being written in and read from the memory, and

wherein the controller is configured to access the memory while the second wireless communication module performs the wireless communication.

6. The system of claim 2, wherein the power receiver further comprises a memory accessible by the controller, data being written in and read from the memory, and

wherein the controller is configured to access the memory while the power reception module is receiving the power.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the second wireless communication module comprises a buffer, the data being written in and read from the buffer, and the second wireless communication module is configured to read the data from the buffer and/or to write the data in the buffer during performing the wireless communication, and

wherein the controller is configured to read the data written in the memory and to write the read data in the buffer and/or to read the data written in the buffer and to write the read data in the memory while the power reception module is receiving the power.

8. The system of claim 2, wherein the power receiver further comprises a memory accessible by the controller, data being written in and read out from the memory, and

wherein the controller is configured to access the memory while the power reception module is not receiving the power and the second wireless communication module is not performing the wireless communication.

9. The system of claim 2, wherein the charge keeping module comprises a battery capable of storing the power received by the power reception module.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein a frequency of an electric wave that transmits the power is 13.56 MHz.

11. A power receiver configured to perform wireless communication with a power transmitter, the power transmitter comprising a power transmission module configured to wirelessly transmit power, and a first wireless communication module configured to perform wireless communication of a data frame comprising data, the power receiver comprising:

a power reception module configured to receive the power transmitted from the power transmission module; and

a second wireless communication module configured to perform wireless communication of the data frame with the first wireless communication module using the received power;

wherein the second wireless communication module is configured to perform wireless communication while the power reception module is not receiving the power;

wherein the second wireless communication module is configured to perform the wireless communication of a controller frame comprising a control signal with the power transmitter; and

wherein an interference tolerance of the control frame is larger than an interference tolerance of the data frame.

12. The receiver of claim 11, wherein the power reception module comprises:

a coil configured to receive an electric wave configured to transmit the power;

a power reception controller configured to convert the electric wave to a current; and

a charge keeping module configured to accumulate charge by the current; and

wherein the power receiver further comprises;

a charge monitor configured to monitor an amount of charge accumulated in the charge keeping module; and

a controller configured to stop a power transmission and to start the wireless communication by the second wireless communication module when the amount of charge accumulated in the charge keeping module is above a first threshold.

13. The receiver of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to stop the power transmission from the power transmitter by changing a load resistance of the coil when the amount of charge accumulated in the charge keeping module is above the first threshold.

14. The receiver of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to stop the wireless communication by the second wireless communication module and to restart the power transmission from the power transmitter when the amount of charge accumulated in the charge keeping module is below a second threshold.

15. The receiver of claim 12, further comprising a memory accessible by the controller, data being written in and read from the memory,

wherein the controller is configured to access the memory while the second wireless communication module is performing the wireless communication.

16. The receiver of claim 12, further comprising a memory accessible by the controller, data being written in and read from the memory,

wherein the controller is configured to access the memory while the power reception module is receiving the power.

17. The receiver of claim 16, wherein the second wireless communication module comprises a buffer, the data being written in and read from the buffer, and the second wireless communication module is configured to read the data from the buffer and/or to write the data in the buffer during performing the wireless communication, and

wherein the controller is configured to read the data written in the memory and to write the read data in the buffer and/or to read the data written in the buffer and to write the read data in the memory while the power reception module is receiving the power.

18. The receiver of claim 12, further comprising a memory accessible by the controller, data being written in and read out from the memory,

wherein the controller is configured to access the memory while the power reception module is not receiving the power and the second wireless communication module is not performing the wireless communication.

19. A power transmitter configured to perform wireless communication with a power receiver, the power receiver comprising a power reception module configured to wirelessly receive power, and a first wireless communication module configured to perform wireless communication of a data frame comprising data using the received power, the power transmitter comprising:

a power transmission module configured to wirelessly transmit the power to the power reception module; and

a second wireless communication module configured to perform wireless communication of the data frame with the power receiver;

wherein the second wireless communication module is configured to perform wireless communication while the power transmission module is not transmitting the power;

wherein the second wireless communication module is configured to perform the wireless communication of a controller frame comprising a control signal with the power receiver; and

wherein an interference tolerance of the control frame is larger than an interference tolerance of the data frame.