Method of exciting primary coils in contactless power supplying device and contactless power supplying device

• US 9,293,251 B2
• Filed: 10/11/2012
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Irie, Kenichi, Hyodo, Satoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kessie, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US13/649,164
• Publication Number:
  US 20140103730A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,258 Days
• Field of Search: 307/104
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/402 the two or more transmitting or the two or more receiving devices being integrated in the same unit, e.g. power mats with several coils or antennas with several sub-antennas
• 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: H04B 5/263 Multiple coils at either side
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/266 One coil at each side, e.g. with primary and secondary coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

A contactless power supplying device includes a plurality of unit controllers that control a plurality of groups of power supplying unit circuits, which respectively excite a plurality of groups of primary coils. A clock signal generation circuit provides the plurality of unit controllers with a common clock signal. The plurality of unit controllers generates synchronization signals to excite the plurality of groups of primary coils in accordance with a common clock signal and provides the synchronization signals respectively to a plurality of power supplying unit circuit. The synchronization signals are rectangular wave pulses having the same cycle, and the plurality of groups of primary coils are excited with the same frequency.

Claims

1. A method for exciting a primary coil in a contactless power supplying device that includes a plurality of primary coils and a plurality of power supplying unit circuits respectively exciting the plurality of primary coils, wherein the contactless power supplying device uses an electromagnetic induction effect to supply power to a power reception device opposed to at least one of the primary coils, the method comprising:

dividing the plurality of primary coils into a plurality of groups of primary coils;

providing synchronization signals to power supplying circuits in each group among a plurality of groups of power supplying unit circuits respectively corresponding to the plurality of groups of primary coils;

calculating a frequency of each of the plurality of synchronization signals;

comparing the calculated frequencies of the plurality of synchronization signals and a frequency of a reference clock signal; and

when the calculated frequencies of the plurality of synchronization signals differ from the frequency of the reference clock signal, adjusting the differing frequencies of the plurality of synchronization signals to the frequency of the reference clock signal.

2. A contactless power supplying device including

a plurality of groups of primary coils, and

a plurality of groups of power supplying unit circuits that respectively excite the plurality of groups of primary coils, wherein the contactless power supplying device uses an electromagnetic induction effect to supply power to a power reception device opposed to at least one of the primary coils among the plurality of groups of primary coils, the contactless power supplying device comprising:

a plurality of unit controllers that respectively provide synchronization signals to the plurality of groups of power supplying units; and

a control circuit connected to the plurality of unit controllers, wherein the control circuit calculates a frequency of each of the plurality of synchronization signals generated by the plurality of unit controllers and compares the calculated frequencies of the plurality of synchronization signals and a frequency of a reference clock signal, wherein when the calculated frequencies of the plurality of synchronization signals differ from the frequency of the reference clock signal, the control circuit adjusts the differing frequencies of the plurality of synchronization signals to the frequency of the reference clock signal.

3. A contactless power supplying device including

a plurality of groups of primary coils, and

a plurality of groups of power supplying unit circuits that respectively excite the plurality of groups of primary coils, wherein the contactless power supplying device uses an electromagnetic induction effect to supply power to a power reception device opposed to at least one of the primary coils among the plurality of groups of primary coils, the contactless power supplying device comprising:

a plurality of unit controllers that respectively provide synchronization signals to the plurality of groups of power supplying units; and

a frequency comparison circuit connected to the plurality of unit controllers, wherein the frequency comparison circuit compares frequencies of the plurality of synchronization signals generated by the plurality of unit controllers and provides a plurality of control signals to the plurality of unit controllers so that the plurality of synchronization signals have the same frequency, wherein the frequency comparison circuit includes

a sampling circuit that samples the plurality of synchronization signals generated by the plurality of unit controllers, and

a control circuit connected to the sampling circuit, wherein the control calculates the frequency of each of the plurality of synchronization signals generated by the plurality of unit controllers based on a sampling signal sampled by the sampling circuit, uses the calculated frequency of one synchronization signal among the plurality of synchronization signals as a reference, and provides the unit controllers corresponding to the remaining synchronization signals with a control signal so that the remaining synchronization signals are generated with frequencies that conform to the one synchronization signal.