Detecting device, power receiving device, contactless power transmission system, and detecting method

• US 9,360,508 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2012
• Issued: 06/07/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Group Corp.
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Bunsen, Keigo, Nakano, Hiroaki, Murakami, Tomomichi, Fukuda, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Thai
• Application Number:
  US13/671,062
• Publication Number:
  US 20130134792A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,308 Days
• Field of Search: 307/104
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 27/04 in circuits having distributed constants , e.g. having very long conductors or involving high frequencies
• CPC Class Codes: G01V 3/02 operating with propagation of electric current
• 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 50/60 responsive to the presence of foreign objects, e.g. detection of living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a detecting device including a coil electromagnetically coupled to the external, a resonant circuit that includes at least the coil, and a detecting section that superimposes a measurement signal for measuring the Q-factor of the resonant circuit on a power transmission signal transmitted to the coil in a contactless manner and removes the power transmission signal from an alternating-current signal obtained by superimposing the measurement signal on the power transmission signal. The detecting section measures the Q-factor by using the alternating-current signal from which the power transmission signal is removed.

Claims

1. A detecting device comprising:

a coil configured that electromagnetically couples to an external device;

a resonant circuit that includes at least the coil; and

a detecting section with circuitry that superimposes a measurement signal for measuring a Q-factor of the resonant circuit on a power transmission signal transmitted to the coil in a contactless manner and removes the power transmission signal from an alternating-current signal obtained by superimposing the measurement signal on the power transmission signal, the detecting section measuring the Q-factor by using the alternating-current signal from which the power transmission signal is removed.

2. The detecting device according to claim 1, wherein the power transmission signal is an alternating-current signal with a first frequency and the measurement signal is an alternating-current signal with a second frequency different from the first frequency.

3. The detecting device according to claim 2, wherein the detecting section includes:

a resonant frequency adjuster that is connected to the resonant circuit and is to change resonant frequency of the resonant circuit from the first frequency to the second frequency,

a first frequency remover that does not allow passage of the alternating-current signal with the first frequency and allows passage of at least the alternating-current signal with the second frequency, and

a Q-factor measuring section that calculates the Q-factor by using the alternating-current signal that has passed through the first frequency remover and includes the measurement signal.

4. The detecting device according to claim 3, further comprising a separator configured to be connected to a side to which a load on an opposite side to at least the coil across the resonant circuit is connected, and electrically separate the load from the resonant circuit when the detecting section measures the Q-factor.

5. The detecting device according to claim 4, further comprising

a power storage device that is charged with at least power consumed in measurement of the Q-factor in the detecting section by using the power transmission signal received by the coil from the external device,

wherein the detecting section measures the Q-factor by using the power stored in the power storage in a period when connection between the resonant circuit and the load is set off.

6. The detecting device according to claim 3, further comprising a second frequency remover connected to a side to which a load on an opposite side to at least the coil across the resonant circuit is connected, and that allows passage of the alternating-current signal with the first frequency, the second frequency remover not allowing passage of at least the alternating-current signal with the second frequency.

7. The detecting device according to claim 3, wherein the resonant frequency adjuster includes at least either a capacitor or a coil and is connected between the resonant circuit and the first frequency remover.

8. The detecting device according to claim 3, further comprising a determining section with circuitry that compares the Q-factor obtained by the Q-factor measuring section with a reference value set in advance to determine a state of electromagnetic coupling between the coil and the external device.

9. The detecting device according to claim 8, wherein the state of electromagnetic coupling between the coil and the external device is whether or not a conductor near the coil or a circuit including any coil exists.

10. The detecting device according to claim 3, wherein the Q-factor measuring section acquires a first voltage applied between both ends of the coil configuring the resonant circuit and the resonant frequency adjuster and a second voltage applied between both ends of the coil from the alternating-current signal that has passed through the first frequency remover, and calculates the Q-factor from a ratio between the first voltage and the second voltage.

11. The detecting device according to claim 3, wherein the Q-factor measuring section calculates the Q-factor by using a half width method in which the Q-factor is obtained from a band corresponding to √

2 times an absolute value of impedance of a series resonant circuit including at least the coil at resonant frequency.

12. The detecting device according to claim 3, wherein the Q-factor measuring section calculates the Q-factor by using a half width method in which the Q-factor is obtained from a band corresponding to 1/√

2 times an absolute value of impedance of a parallel resonant circuit including at least the coil at resonant frequency.

13. The detecting device according to claim 3, further comprising a communication section that transmits the Q-factor measured by the detecting section to a power transmission side of the power transmission signal.

14. A power receiving device comprising:

a coil that can receive power from an external device;

a resonant circuit that includes at least the coil; and

a detecting section with circuitry that superimposes a measurement signal for measuring a Q-factor of the resonant circuit on a power transmission signal transmitted to the coil in a contactless manner and removes the power transmission signal from an alternating-current signal obtained by superimposing the measurement signal on the power transmission signal, the detecting section measuring the Q-factor by using the alternating-current signal from which the power transmission signal is removed.

15. The power receiving device according to claim 14, wherein the detecting section includes:

a resonant frequency adjuster that is connected to the resonant circuit and changes resonant frequency of the resonant circuit from a first frequency to a second frequency different from the first frequency,

a first frequency remover that does not allow passage of an alternating-current signal with the first frequency and allows passage of at least an alternating-current signal with the second frequency, and

a Q-factor measuring section that calculates the Q-factor by using the alternating-current signal that has passed through the first frequency remover and includes the measurement signal.

16. A contactless power transmission system comprising:

a power transmitting device that wirelessly transmits power; and

a power receiving device that receives power from the power transmitting device,

wherein the power receiving device includes

a coil that can be used to receive power from an external device,

a resonant circuit configured to include at least the coil, and

a detecting section with circuitry that superimposes a measurement signal for measuring a Q-factor of the resonant circuit on a power transmission signal transmitted to the coil in a contactless manner and removes the power transmission signal from an alternating-current signal obtained by superimposing the measurement signal on the power transmission signal, the detecting section measuring the Q-factor by using the alternating-current signal from which the power transmission signal is removed.

17. The contactless power transmission system according to claim 16, wherein the detecting section includes

a resonant frequency adjuster that is connected to the resonant circuit and is to change resonant frequency of the resonant circuit from a first frequency to a second frequency different from the first frequency,

a first frequency remover that does not allow passage of an alternating-current signal with the first frequency and allows passage of at least an alternating-current signal with the second frequency, and

a Q-factor measuring section that calculates the Q-factor by using the alternating-current signal that has passed through the first frequency remover and includes the measurement signal.

18. A detecting method comprising:

superimposing a measurement signal for measuring a Q-factor of a resonant circuit including at least a coil on a power transmission signal transmitted to the coil in a contactless manner by a detecting section included in a detecting device;

removing the power transmission signal from an alternating-current signal obtained by superimposing the measurement signal on the power transmission signal; and

measuring the Q-factor by using the alternating-current signal from which the power transmission signal is removed.

19. The detecting method according to claim 18, wherein

the power transmission signal is an alternating-current signal with a first frequency and the measurement signal is an alternating-current signal with a second frequency different from the first frequency, and

a resonant frequency adjuster included in the detecting section is connected to the resonant circuit to change resonant frequency of the resonant circuit from the first frequency to the second frequency.