Power-receiving device, receiving power regulation method, and semiconductor device

• US 9,780,598 B2
• Filed: 02/07/2014
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/27/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dexerials Corporation
• Original Assignee: Dexerials Corporation
• Inventors: Kanno, Masayoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Grant, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): Trischler, John
• Application Number:
  US14/770,538
• Publication Number:
  US 20160020634A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,334 Days
• Field of Search: 320108, 307104
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• 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 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/04 Regulation of charging current or voltage

Abstract

Provided is a power-receiving device according to at least one embodiment includes: a transmission/reception unit (2) including a resonant circuit having an antenna (2a) configured to receive a power transmitted from a contactless charging device (50) and to transmit and receive data to and from the contactless charging device (50); a charge control unit (5) configured to perform power source control; and a control unit (3) configured to generate control state data indicating a charging state of the secondary cell (6) and/or a power source state of an apparatus main unit (30) operated with the secondary cell (6) and to transmit the control state data to the contactless charging device (50). The control unit (3) has a power-receiving mode in which normal power supply is performed and a regulation mode in which the received power is regulated by regulating a resonant frequency of the resonant circuit.

Claims

1. A power-receiving device, comprising:

a transmission/reception unit including a resonant circuit having an antenna configured to receive a power transmitted from a contactless power transmitter and configured to transmit and receive data to and from the contactless charging device;

a charge control unit configured to perform power source control, including charging of a secondary cell, by using the power received by the transmission/reception unit; and

a control unit configured to generate control state data indicating a charging state of the secondary cell and/or a control state of a power source of an apparatus main unit operated with the secondary cell and configured to transmit the generated control state data to the contactless charging device through the transmission/reception unit, wherein

the control unit has;

a power-receiving mode in which the power transmitted based on the control state data is used for charging of the secondary cell through the charge control unit and/or for the power source of the apparatus main unit operated with the secondary cell; and

a regulation mode in which the received power is regulated by setting the control state data to a predetermined constant value and regulating a resonant frequency of the resonant circuit, and wherein

in the regulation mode, the control unit controls the charge control unit to supply a constant power to a load.

2. The power-receiving device of claim 1, wherein

in the regulation mode,

the control unit sets the resonant frequency to an initial value, measures received power data associated with the transmitted power, changes the resonant frequency by a predetermined value, measures the received power data corresponding to the changed resonant frequency until an amount of change in the received power data before and after the resonant frequency change reaches a predetermined threshold, and sets a frequency at which the amount of change has reached the threshold as the resonant frequency.

3. The power-receiving device of claim 2, wherein

the initial value of the resonant frequency is a lowest value within an available range of resonant frequencies, and the data includes a voltage value and/or a current value of a signal received by the transmission/reception unit.

4. The power-receiving device of claim 1, wherein

the regulation mode is executed periodically.

5. The power-receiving device of claim 4, wherein

a period to execute the regulation mode is greater than an inverse number of a response time for setting the regulation mode.

6. The power-receiving device of claim 1, wherein

the control state data includes a feedback amount determined based on a difference between the charging state of the secondary cell and/or the state of the power source of the apparatus main unit operated with the secondary cell, and a desired value thereof, and

in the regulation mode, the control unit sets the feedback amount to be zero.

7. The power-receiving device of claim 1, wherein

the charge control unit has a charging path used for charging the secondary cell and a power source path used for supplying the power source to the apparatus main unit directly by bypassing the charging path, the power source path being disconnected in the regulation mode.

8. The power-receiving device of claim 1, wherein

in the power-receiving mode and/or the regulation mode, operation of the power-receiving device is stopped when the control state data is greater than a predetermined threshold.

9. A received power regulation method of regulating a power received by a power-receiving device for contactless charging, the received power regulation method comprising:

a power-receiving mode; and

a regulation mode, wherein

the power-receiving mode includes;

the step, performed by a transmission/reception unit, of receiving the power or data transmitted from a contactless charging device;

the step, performed by a charge control unit, of performing power source control, including charging of a secondary cell, by using the power received by the transmission/reception unit; and

the step, performed by a control unit, of generating control state data indicating a charging state of the secondary cell and/or a control state of a power source of an apparatus main unit operated with the secondary cell, transmitting the generated control state data to the contactless charging device through the transmission/reception unit, and supplying a power transmitted based on the control state data to the secondary cell through the charge control unit and/or to the power source of the apparatus main unit operated with the secondary cell, and

the regulation mode includes;

the step, performed by the control unit, of setting the control state data to a predetermined constant value, transmitting the control state data to the contactless charging device through the transmission/reception unit, and supplying a power transmitted based on the control state data to the secondary cell through the charge control unit and/or to the power source of the apparatus main unit operated with the secondary cell, wherein

the control unit regulates the received power by regulating a resonant frequency of a resonant circuit included in the transmission/reception unit, and wherein

the control unit controls the charge control unit to supply a constant power to a load.

10. The received power regulation method of claim 9, wherein

the regulation mode further includes the steps, performed by the control unit, of:

setting the resonant frequency to an initial value and measuring received power data associated with the transmitted power;

changing the resonant frequency by a predetermined value and measuring the received power data corresponding to the changed resonant frequency until an amount of change in the received power data before and after the resonant frequency change reaches a predetermined threshold; and

setting a frequency at which the amount of change has reached the threshold as the resonant frequency.

11. The received power regulation method of claim 10, wherein

the initial value of the resonant frequency is a lowest value within an available range of resonant frequencies, and the data includes a voltage value and/or a current value of a signal received by the transmission/reception unit.

12. The received power regulation method of claim 9, wherein

the regulation mode is executed periodically.

13. The received power regulation method of claim 12, wherein

a period to execute the regulation mode is greater than an inverse number of a response time for setting the regulation mode.

14. The received power regulation method of claim 9, wherein

the control state data includes a feedback amount determined based on a difference between the charging state of the secondary cell and/or the state of the power source of the apparatus main unit operated with the secondary cell, and a desired value thereof, and

in the regulation mode, the control unit sets the feedback amount to be zero.

15. The received power regulation method of claim 9, wherein

the charge control unit has a charging path used for charging the secondary cell and a power source path used for supplying the power source to the apparatus main unit directly by bypassing the charging path, the power source path being disconnected by the charge control unit in the regulation mode.

16. The received power regulation method of claim 9, wherein

the power-receiving mode and/or the regulation mode further includes the step of detecting a metal substance other than the power-receiving device.

17. A semiconductor device comprising a storage unit storing a received power regulation program of a power-receiving device for contactless charging, a control unit configured to load and execute the received power regulation program, the received power regulation program comprising:

a power-receiving mode in which a power is received from a contactless charging device, the power-receiving mode including

the step, performed by a transmission/reception unit, of receiving the power or data transmitted from the contactless charging device,

the step, performed by a charge control unit, of performing power source control, including charging of a secondary cell, by using the power received by the transmission/reception unit, and

the step, performed by the control unit, of generating control state data indicating a charging state of the secondary cell and/or a control state of a power source of an apparatus main unit operated with the secondary cell, transmitting the generated control state data to the contactless charging device through the transmission/reception unit, and supplying the power transmitted based on the control state data to the secondary cell through the charge control unit and/or to a power source for the apparatus main unit operated with the secondary cell; and

a regulation mode in which the received power is regulated, the regulation mode including

the step, performed by the control unit, of setting the control state data to a predetermined constant value, transmitting the control state data to the contactless charging device through the transmission/reception unit, and supplying a power transmitted based on the control state data to the secondary cell through the charge control unit and/or to the power source of the apparatus main unit operated with the secondary cell, wherein

the control unit regulates the received power by regulating a resonant frequency of a resonant circuit included in the transmission/reception unit, and wherein

the control unit controls the charge control unit to supply a constant power to a load.