Ultrasonic wireless power transmitter and receiver apparatuses, and method for wireless charging thereof

• US 9,240,688 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2012
• Issued: 01/19/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Hwang, Gunn, Lee, Sung Q, Yang, Woo Seok, Kim, JongDae
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): OMAR, AHMED H
• Application Number:
  US13/671,486
• Publication Number:
  US 20130271088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,168 Days
• Field of Search: 320/108
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 4/00 Circuit arrangements for mains or distribution networks not specified as ac or dc
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/005 Mechanical details of housing or structure aiming to accommodate the power transfer means, e.g. mechanical integration of coils, antennas or transducers into emitting or receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/15 using ultrasonic 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 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 11/00 Transmission systems employing sonic, ultrasonic or infrasonic waves

Abstract

Disclosed are ultrasonic wireless power transmitter and receiver apparatuses, and a method for wireless charging thereof. A method for wireless charging according to the present disclosure includes: transmitting, by an ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus, an wakeup signal to an ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus; calculating, by the ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus, a charging time according to a charging status information received from the ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus; generating, by the ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus, an ultrasonic signal, amplifying the generated ultrasonic signal to predetermined voltage and thereafter; charging, by the ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus, the ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus for the calculated time and thereafter; and determining, by the ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus, whether secondary charging is to be performed according to a charged status information received from the ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic wireless power transmission apparatus, comprising:

an ultrasound generating unit configured to generate an ultrasonic signal for transmitting electric power;

a signal processing unit configured to modulate the ultrasonic signal;

a power amplifying unit configured to amplify the modulated ultrasonic signal to a predetermined magnitude;

an ultrasonic transmitter/receiver unit configured to send the power-amplified ultrasonic signal to an ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus or receive the power-amplified ultrasonic signal from the ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus; and

a control unit configured to calculate a charging time using power amount data received from the ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus and calculate a natural frequency using a distance to the ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus and a size of a radiation plate of the ultrasonic transmitter/receiver unit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit sends an wakeup signal to the ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus to start.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein, when the control unit transmits a charging start signal to the ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus and receives a notification of completion of charging preparation from the ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus, the control unit charges the power storing unit in the ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus with the ultrasound with the natural frequency for the charging time.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the ultrasonic transmitter/receiver apparatus is made of at least one material of aluminum, stainless steel and titanium.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transducer in the ultrasonic transmitter/receiver apparatus is made of at least one or more PZT elements.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit enters a sleep mode when the power amount required in the ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus is charged.

7. An ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus, comprising:

an ultrasonic transmitter/receiver unit configured to receive an ultrasonic signal for transmitting power from an ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus or transmit an ultrasonic signal for transmitting data to the ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus;

a power managing unit configured to store power generated using the ultrasonic signal for transmitting power in a power storing unit and measure a power amount stored in the power storing unit; and

a control unit configured to;

control power amount data received from the power managing unit to be transmitted to the ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus,

when a wakeup signal is received from the ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus, actuate the ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus and transmit, to the ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus by using the ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus, charging mode and charging state data, and

when a charging completion signal is received from the ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus, transmit, to the ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus by using the ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus, charged amount data.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

ultrasound generating unit configured to generate an ultrasonic signal for transmitting the power amount data;

a signal processing unit configured to modulate the ultrasonic signal output from the ultrasound generating unit; and

a power amplifier configured to amplify the ultrasonic signal output from the signal processing unit to a predetermined magnitude.

9. A method for wireless charging using ultrasound in an ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus, comprising:

transmitting, by an ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus, an wakeup signal to an ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus;

calculating, by the ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus, a charging time according to a charging status information received from the ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus, and transmitting a charging start signal to the ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus;

generating, by the ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus, an ultrasonic signal, amplifying the generated ultrasonic signal to predetermined voltage and thereafter, sending the ultrasound with the amplified voltage to the ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus when receiving a notification of completion of charging preparation from the ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus;

charging, by the ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus, the ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus for the calculated charging time and thereafter, notifying the ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus that primary charging is completed;

receiving, by the ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus, charged status information generated in response to the notification that primary charging is complete, and

determining, by the ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus, whether secondary charging is to be performed according to the charged status information received from the ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein, in the determining of whether the secondary charging is to be performed, the ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus checks the charged status information whether to perform additional charging by calculating an additional charging time when the charging is not sufficient or notify completion of charging to the ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus when the charging is sufficient.

11. A method for wireless charging using ultrasound in an ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus, comprising:

transmitting, by an ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus, an wakeup signal to an ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus;

transmitting, by the ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus, a charging start signal to the ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus when receiving a notification of completion of wakeup and a charged status information from the ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus;

emitting, by the ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus, ultrasound in a predetermined range when receiving a notification of completion of receiving ready from the ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus;

receiving, by the ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus, a notification of a frequency to generate the highest voltage from the ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus;

transmitting, by the ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus, ultrasound with the notified frequency while changing the position of an ultrasonic element within the range of a predetermined distance (D0±

D1) and direction (±

θ

, ±

α

);

receiving, by the ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus from the ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus, an optimal transmitter distance and direction and an estimated charging time; and

transmitting, by the ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus, the ultrasound having the notified frequency and charging the ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus for the estimated charging time after setting the position of the ultrasonic element to the optimal transmitter distance and direction.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein, in the transmitting of the ultrasound, the ultrasound having the notified frequency is transmitted while the position of the ultrasonic element is sequentially increased from a current position to a predetermined distance (DD).

13. The method of claim 11, wherein, after the charging, when the ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus receives a notification of the completion of charging from the ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus, the ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus transmits the wakeup signal to a subsequent ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus or enters a sleep mode.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein, after the charging, when the ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus receives an additional charging time and a request for additional charging from the ultrasonic wireless power receiver apparatus, the ultrasonic wireless power transmitter apparatus performs charging for the additional charging time.