Wireless power transmitter and method of managing thereof

• US 9,537,539 B2
• Filed: 09/24/2014
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Innotek Company Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Innotek Company Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Bae, Su Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Amrany, Adi
• Application Number:
  US14/495,727
• Publication Number:
  US 20150008760A1
• Time in Patent Office: 832 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 50/12 of the resonant type
• 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 7/00304 Overcurrent protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00308 Overvoltage protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/14 Arrangements for reducing ripples from dc input or output
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/06 using discharge tubes without control electrode or semiconductor devices without control electrode
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/46 using discharge tubes without control electrode or semiconductor devices without control electrode
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/00 Near-field transmission systems, e.g. inductive or capacitive transmission systems
• 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 method for managing power in a transmitter to wirelessly transmit the power to a receiver. The method includes transmitting AC power through a resonance frequency band to the receiver using a transmission resonant coil, transmitting a state information of the transmitter including information related to the number of receivers that can be supported by the transmitter through out-of-band communication having a specific frequency band which is different from the resonance frequency band, receiving a state information of the receiver including information related to a rectified DC power detected by the receiver through rectification of the AC power from the receiver through the out-of-band communication and adjusting the AC power to transmit to the receiver based on the information related to the rectified DC power.

Claims

1. A wireless power system, comprising:

a power supply device configured to generate AC power;

a transmitter configured to transmit the AC power generated by the power supply device; and

a receiver configured to receive the AC power,

wherein the receiver includes;

a receiving unit to receive AC power through a resonance frequency band from the transmitter;

a rectifying unit to rectify the received AC power to DC power;

a DC-DC converter to convert the rectified DC power into a specific DC power required by a load;

a voltage restricting unit disposed before the load; and

a controller to;

detect a first rectified DC power, which is rectified from the received AC power, that is less than a predetermined threshold to prevent an instant overvoltage from being transferred to the load,

transmit, via a modulation unit through out-of-band communication at a specific frequency band other than the resonant frequency band, a signal to increase the AC power to be received from the transmitter and control the voltage restricting unit to allow the detected first rectified DC power to be transferred to the load in response to the detected first rectified DC power being less than the predetermined threshold,

detect a second rectified DC power, which is rectified from the received AC power, that is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold to prevent the instant overvoltage from being transferred to the load, and

transmit, via the modulation unit, a signal to decrease the AC power to be received from the transmitter and control the voltage restricting unit to prevent the detected second rectified DC power from being transferred to the load in response to the detected second rectified DC power being equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold,

wherein the predetermined threshold is different than a charge quantity of the load, and

wherein the transmitter includes;

a transmission resonant coil configured to transmit the AC power through the resonance frequency band to the receiver; and

an out-of-band communication module configured to receive the signal from the receiver through the out-of-band communication.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the voltage restricting unit in the receiver prevents the instant overvoltage from being transferred to the load by using a switch which maintains or shuts off the power transferred to the load.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the voltage restricting unit shorts the switch to allow the detected first rectified DC power to be transferred to the load in response to the detected first rectified DC power being less than the predetermined threshold and opens the switch to prevent the instant overvoltage from being transferred to the load in response to the detected second rectified DC power being equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the voltage restricting unit prevents the instant overvoltage from being transferred to the load by using a Zener diode which absorbs the power.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the controller is further configured to transmit, via the modulation unit, state information of the transmitter including information related to a number of receivers that can be supported by the transmitter through the out-of-band communication.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the state information of the transmitter further comprises information related to a maximum amount of power to be supplied by the transmitter.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the signal received from the receiver further includes state information including at least one of information related to a present charging quantity transferred to the load of the receiver and information related to a change of charge quantity to the load of the receiver.

8. A method for managing power in a wireless power system, the method comprising:

generating, via a power supply device, AC power;

transmitting, via a transmitter, the AC power generated by the power supply device; and

receiving, via a receiver, the AC power,

wherein the receiving includes;

receiving, via a receiving unit of the receiver, the AC power through a resonance frequency band from the transmitter;

rectifying, via a rectifying unit of the receiver, the received AC power to DC power;

managing, via a power managing unit of the receiver, the power transferred to a load based on the rectified DC power; and

converting, via a DC-DC converter of the receiver, the rectified DC power into a specific DC power required by the load,

wherein the managing the power includes;

detecting, via a controller, a first rectified DC power, which is rectified from the received AC power, that is less than a predetermined threshold to prevent an instant overvoltage from being transferred to the load;

transmitting, via a modulation unit through out-of-band communication at a specific frequency band other than the resonant frequency band, a signal to increase the AC power to be received from the transmitter and controlling the voltage restricting unit to allow the detected first rectified DC power to be transferred to the load in response to the detected first rectified DC power being less than the predetermined threshold;

detecting, via the controller, a second rectified DC power, which is rectified from the received AC power, that is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold to prevent the instant overvoltage from being transferred to the load; and

transmitting, via the modulation unit, a signal to decrease the AC power to be received from the transmitter and controlling the voltage restricting unit to prevent the detected second rectified DC power from being transferred to the load in response to the detected second rectified DC power being equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold,

wherein the predetei mined threshold is different than a charge quantity of the load, and

wherein the transmitting the AC power includes;

transmitting, via a transmission resonant coil of the transmitter, the AC power through the resonance frequency band to the receiver; and

receiving, via an out-of-band communication module of the transmitter, the signal from the receiver through the out-of-band communication.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the voltage restricting unit includes a switch which maintains or shuts off the power transferred to the load to prevent the instant overvoltage from being transferred to the load.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising:

controlling the voltage restriction unit to short the switch to allow the detected first rectified DC power to be transferred to the load in response to the detected first rectified DC power being less than the predetermined threshold and open the switch to prevent the instant overvoltage from being transferred to the load in response to the detected second rectified DC power being equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the voltage restricting unit includes a Zener diode which absorbs the power to prevent the instant overvoltage from being transferred to the load.

12. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

transmitting, via the modulation unit, state information of the transmitter including information related to a number of receivers that can be supported by the transmitter through the out-of-band communication.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the state information of the transmitter further comprises information related to a maximum amount of power to be supplied by the transmitter.

14. The method of claim 8, wherein the signal received from the receiver further includes state information including at least one of information related to a present charging quantity transferred to the load and information related to a change of charge quantity to the load.