Wireless power transmission apparatus and wireless power reception apparatus

• US 9,502,174 B2
• Filed: 01/03/2014
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Ki Young, Kwon, Sang Wook, Kim, Nam Yun, Kim, Dong Zo, Park, Yun Kwon, Song, Keum Su, Ryu, Young Ho, Yoon, Chang Wook, Choi, Jin Sung
• Primary Examiner(s): Deberadinis, Robert
• Application Number:
  US14/147,012
• Publication Number:
  US 20140265614A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,054 Days
• Field of Search: 307/104
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/10 DC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/122 Circuits or methods for driving the primary coil, e.g. supplying electric power to the coil
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/22 Constructional details or arrangements of charging converters specially adapted for charging electric vehicles
• 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 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields
• 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: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/72 Electric energy management in electromobility
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 Plug-in electric vehicles

Abstract

A wireless power transmission apparatus includes a resonance unit including resonators and configured to form a magnetic resonant coupling with another resonator, and a feeding unit configured to transmit alternating current (AC) power to one of the resonators. The wireless power transmission apparatus further includes a controller configured to determine a value of a capacitor connected to one of the resonators, based on a magnitude of a magnetic field formed by the resonance unit.

Claims

1. A wireless power transmission apparatus comprising:

a resonance unit comprising resonators and configured to form a magnetic resonant coupling with another resonator;

a feeding unit configured to transmit alternating current (AC) power to one of the resonators; and

a controller configured to determine a value of a capacitor connected to one of the resonators, based on a magnitude of a magnetic field formed by the resonance unit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the resonators is in a form of a loop, and comprises a variable capacitor of which a value is adjusted to focus the magnetic field on an internal portion of the resonance unit.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the resonators have different sizes and are classified into an internal resonator and an external resonator on a plane, based on the sizes.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the resonators have different sizes and are classified into an internal resonator, an intermediate resonator, and an external resonator on a plane, based on the sizes.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the resonators is in a form of a loop, the form of the loop comprising a form of a polygon or a form of a circle.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

each of at least one of the resonators comprises a variable capacitor; and

the controller is configured to determine a value of the variable capacitor of each of the at least one of the resonators, based on the magnitude of the magnetic field formed by the resonance unit.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the capacitor is connected in series between the feeding unit and at least one of the resonators.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the capacitor is connected in parallel between the feeding unit and at least one of the resonators.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

switches configured to connect the respective resonators and the feeding unit,

wherein the controller is further configured to determine a switch to be used to connect the feeding unit and a respective one of the resonators, among the switches, based on the magnitude of the magnetic field formed by the resonance unit.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the feeding unit comprises:

a regulator configured to adjust a voltage level of power to be supplied, based on a charging capacity of a wireless power reception apparatus; and

an inverter configured to convert the power of the adjusted voltage level to the AC power, using a resonant frequency of the resonators.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to:

adjust a distance between the resonators based on the magnitude of the magnetic field formed by the resonance unit, to focus the magnetic field on an internal portion of the resonance unit.

12. A wireless power reception apparatus comprising:

a resonance unit comprising resonators and configured to form a magnetic coupling with another resonator;

a feeding unit configured to receive alternating current (AC) power from one of the resonators; and

a controller configured to determine a value of a capacitor connected to one of the resonators, based on a magnitude of a magnetic field formed by the resonance unit.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein each of the resonators is in a form of a loop, and comprises a variable capacitor of which a value is adjusted to focus the magnetic field on an internal portion of the resonance unit.

14. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the resonators have different sizes and are classified into an internal resonator and an external resonator on a plane, based on the sizes.

15. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the resonators have different sizes and are classified into an internal resonator, an intermediate resonator, and an external resonator on a plane, based on the sizes.

16. The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:

switches configured to connect the respective resonators and the feeding unit,

wherein the controller is further configured to determine a switch to be used to connect the feeding unit and a respective one of the resonators, among the switches, based on the magnitude of the magnetic field formed by the resonance unit.

17. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the feeding unit comprises:

a rectifier configured to rectify the AC power into direct current (DC) power; and

a DC-to-DC (DC/DC) converter configured to convert a voltage level of the DC power into a rated voltage level of a load.

18. An apparatus comprising:

resonators configured to form a resonant coupling with another resonator; and

a controller configured to determine a value of a capacitor connected to one of the resonators, based on a magnetic field generated by the resonators.

19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the controller is configured to:

determine the value of the capacitor so that a magnitude of the magnetic field increases at a center of the resonators.

20. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the controller is further configured to:

determine a distance between the resonators so that a magnitude of the magnetic field increases at a center of the resonators.