Electronic unit and feed system

• US 9,455,593 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2014
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Group Corp.
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Nakano, Hiroaki, Terashima, Toru, Bunsen, Keigo, Fukuda, Shinichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Application Number:
  US14/212,346
• Publication Number:
  US 20140300314A1
• Time in Patent Office: 928 Days
• Field of Search: 320/106, 320/108, 320/128, 320/140
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/40 using two or more transmitting or receiving devices H02J50/50 takes precedence
• 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
• 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: H02J 7/00308 Overvoltage protection

Abstract

An electronic unit includes: a power receiving section configured to receive electric power fed from a feed unit by using a magnetic field; and a control section configured to perform, when a receiving current supplied from the power receiving section is less than a predetermined threshold current at a time of a light load, current increasing control to increase the receiving current to the threshold current or more.

Claims

1. An electronic unit comprising:

power receiving circuitry configured to receive electric power fed from a feed unit by using a magnetic field;

control circuitry configured to perform, when a receiving current supplied from the power receiving circuitry is less than a predetermined threshold current at a time of a light load, current increasing control to increase the receiving current to the threshold current or more; and

current increasing circuitry including one or a plurality of dummy loads,

wherein the control circuitry performs the current increasing control by utilizing one or more of the dummy loads.

2. The electronic unit according to claim 1, wherein

when the receiving current is less than the threshold current,

the control circuitry performs the current increasing control, by connecting one or more of the dummy loads to a point in a supply path of the receiving current, and controlling a current to flow to the connected dummy loads.

3. The electronic unit according to claim 2, wherein the control circuitry disconnects the dummy loads from the point in the supply path when a main load is set in a connection state.

4. The electronic unit according to claim 2, wherein the control circuitry disconnects the dummy loads from the point in the supply path when the receiving current is equal to or more than the threshold current, after a main load is set in a connection state.

5. The electronic unit according to claim 2, wherein

the current increasing circuitry includes a plurality of types of the dummy loads different in magnitude of load from one another, and

when the receiving current is less than the threshold current,

the control circuitry connects, to the point in the supply path, the dummy load of a type that is selected from the plurality of types of the dummy loads according to a magnitude of the receiving current.

6. The electronic unit according to claim 5, wherein the control circuitry connects the dummy load to the point in the supply path, the connected dummy load being relatively large, as the receiving current becomes small.

7. The electronic unit according to claim 2, wherein

when the receiving current is still less than the threshold current, after one or more of the dummy loads are connected to the point in the supply path of the receiving current,

the control circuitry additionally connects the dummy load to the point in the supply path, or switches the dummy load to the dummy load having a larger load.

8. The electronic unit according to claim 1, wherein the control circuitry includes,

a comparator configured to compare a magnitude of a receiving voltage corresponding to the receiving current, with a magnitude of a reference voltage corresponding to the threshold current,

an integrator configured to receive an output signal from the comparator, and

a transistor configured to operate according to control by the integrator.

9. The electronic unit according to claim 8, wherein

when the receiving voltage is determined to be less than the reference voltage, based on the output signal,

the integrator performs the current increasing control, by connecting the transistor to the point in the supply path of the receiving current, and controlling a current to flow to the transistor.

10. The electronic unit according to claim 8, wherein the reference voltage is a constant voltage.

11. The electronic unit according to claim 8, wherein the reference voltage is a variable voltage that varies in connection with a change in the receiving voltage.

12. The electronic unit according to claim 8, wherein

the reference voltage is generated by dividing a predetermined fixed voltage or the receiving voltage, and

a value of the reference voltage is modifiable by changing a voltage division ratio in the dividing.

13. The electronic unit according to claim 1, wherein the time of the light load is either one of

a first period in which preliminary feeding of power lower than power of main feeding is performed by the feed unit, and

a second period in which a secondary battery serving as a main load is set in a connection state, and operation of charging the secondary battery is performed based on the main feeding, the second period following the first period.

14. The electronic unit according to claim 13, wherein

while the charging operation is performed in the second period,

whether the receiving current is less than the threshold current is periodically determined.

15. The electronic unit according to claim 13, wherein

after increasing the receiving current to the threshold current or more in the first period,

the control circuitry notifies the feed unit of a request for start of the main feeding.

16. The electronic unit according to claim 1, wherein a value of the threshold current is modifiable.

17. An electronic unit comprising:

power receiving circuitry configured to receive electric power fed from a feed unit by using a magnetic field;

control circuitry configured to perform, when a receiving current supplied from the power receiving circuitry is less than a predetermined threshold current at a time of a light load, current increasing control to increase the receiving current to the threshold current or more; and

a current detection circuitry configured to detect the receiving current,

wherein the control circuitry performs the current increasing control, by using the receiving current detected by the current detection circuitry.

18. The electronic unit according to claim 17, further comprising

a rectification circuit configured to rectify the receiving current,

wherein the current detection circuitry detects a receiving current after rectification by the rectification circuit.

19. A feed system provided with one or a plurality of electronic units and a feed unit configured to feed the electronic units by using a magnetic field, each of the electronic units comprising:

power receiving circuitry configured to receive electric power fed from the feed unit;

control circuitry configured to perform, when a receiving current supplied from the power receiving circuitry is less than a predetermined threshold current at a time of a light load, current increasing control to increase the receiving current to the threshold current or more; and

current increasing circuitry including one or a plurality of dummy loads,

wherein the control circuitry performs the current increasing control by utilizing one or more of the dummy loads.

20. An electronic unit comprising:

a power receiving section configured to receive electric power fed from a feed unit by using a magnetic field;

a control section configured to perform, when a receiving current supplied from the power receiving section is less than a predetermined threshold current at a time of a light load, current increasing control to increase the receiving current to the threshold current or more; and

a current increasing section including one or a plurality of dummy loads,

wherein the control section performs the current increasing control by utilizing one or more of the dummy loads.

21. An apparatus comprising:

power receiving circuitry including a coil, the power receiving circuity being configured to receive electric power fed from a feed unit by using a magnetic field;

a memory; and

a controller in communication with the memory and configured to perform, when a receiving current supplied from the power receiving circuitry is less than a predetermined threshold current at a time of a light load, current increasing control to increase the receiving current to the threshold current or more,

wherein the controller performs the current increasing control by utilizing one or more of a plurality of dummy loads.