Wireless power transmitter and wireless power transmission system

• US 9,787,114 B2
• Filed: 05/12/2015
• Issued: 10/10/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wit Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Jeong, In Wha, Park, Jong Heum, Kim, Hugh
• Primary Examiner(s): Fureman, Jared
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bukhari, Aqeel
• Application Number:
  US14/710,118
• Publication Number:
  US 20160013657A1
• Time in Patent Office: 882 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/402 the two or more transmitting or the two or more receiving devices being integrated in the same unit, e.g. power mats with several coils or antennas with several sub-antennas
• 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 7/0044 specially adapted for holding portable devices containing batteries H02J7/0045 takes precedence

Abstract

A wireless power transmitter includes a standard resonator including a standard inductor and a standard capacitor connected to the standard inductor in parallel, one or more dedicated variable inductors connected to the standard resonator in series and having inductance varied in response to a control voltage respectively applied to the dedicated variable inductors, one or more dedicated resonance capacitors connected to the dedicated variable inductors in parallel, respectively, and a controlling unit outputting the control voltage.

Claims

1. A wireless power transmitter comprising:

a standard resonator including a standard inductor and a standard capacitor connected to the standard inductor in parallel;

one or more dedicated variable inductors connected to the standard resonator in series and having inductance varied in response to a control voltage respectively applied to the dedicated variable inductors;

one or more dedicated resonance capacitors connected to the dedicated variable inductors in parallel, respectively; and

a controlling unit outputting the control voltage.

2. The wireless power transmitter of claim 1, further comprising:

a power source unit converting input power into supply power and outputting the supply power; and

a first switch and a second switch connected to each other in series between a terminal to which the supply power is applied and a ground,

wherein the standard inductor and the dedicated variable inductors are connected between a terminal to which the first switch and the second switch are connected and the ground.

3. The wireless power transmitter of claim 2, wherein the controlling unit additionally outputs control signals controlling the first switch and the second switch, and the first switch and the second switch complementarily perform a switching on or off operation.

4. The wireless power transmitter of claim 1, wherein each of the dedicated variable inductors includes:

a primary coil; and

a secondary coil which is magnetically coupled to the primary coil and to which the control voltage is applied, and

the primary coils of the one or more dedicated variable inductors are connected to the standard inductor in series.

5. The wireless power transmitter of claim 1, wherein when the wireless power transmitter wirelessly transmits power having a common resonance frequency, the controlling unit outputs the control voltage so that levels of inductance of each of the dedicated variable inductors are reduced to zero.

6. The wireless power transmitter of claim 1, wherein when the wireless power transmitter wirelessly transmits power having a separate resonance frequency, the controlling unit outputs the control voltages so that inductances of the remaining dedicated variable inductors except for one dedicated variable inductor among the dedicated variable inductors become all zero.

7. The wireless power transmitter of claim 1, wherein the controlling unit outputs the control voltages according to a resonance frequency of a wireless power receiver which is authenticated.

8. The wireless power transmitter of claim 7, wherein when a first wireless power receiver having a first separate resonance frequency and a second wireless power receiver having a second separate resonance frequency are authenticated, the controlling unit outputs the control voltages so that power having the first separate resonance frequency is wirelessly transmitted for a first period of time and outputs the control voltages so that power having the second separate resonance frequency is wirelessly transmitted for a second period of time.

9. The wireless power transmitter of claim 8, wherein when the first wireless power receiver has a priority higher than a priority of the second wireless power receiver, the controlling unit sets the first period of time to be longer than the second period of time.

10. The wireless power transmitter of claim 9, wherein the controlling unit determines the priority based on at least one of a user grade, a charging degree of battery, and temperature of each of the first wireless power receiver and the second wireless power receiver.

11. A wireless power transmission system comprising:

an external server transmitting information regarding whether or not a wireless power receiver is authenticated and information regarding a resonance frequency of the wireless power receiver when the wireless power receiver is connected to the external server; and

a wireless power transmitter supporting the wireless power receiver so as to be connected to the external server and wirelessly transmitting power having the resonance frequency when the wireless power receiver is authenticated,

wherein the wireless power transmitter includes;

a standard resonator including a standard inductor and a standard capacitor connected to the standard inductor in parallel;

one or more dedicated variable inductors connected to the standard resonator in series and having inductance varied in response to a control voltage respectively applied to the dedicated variable inductors;

one or more dedicated resonance capacitors connected to the dedicated variable inductors in parallel, respectively; and

a controlling unit outputting the control voltage.

12. The wireless power transmission system of claim 11, wherein the wireless power transmitter includes a Wi-Fi device and the wireless power receiver is connected to the external server through the Wi-Fi device.

13. The wireless power transmission system of claim 11, wherein each of the dedicated variable inductors includes:

a primary coil; and

a secondary coil which is magnetically coupled to the primary coil and to which the control voltage is applied, and

the primary coils of the dedicated variable inductors are connected to the standard inductor in series.

14. The wireless power transmission system of claim 11, wherein when the wireless power transmitter wirelessly transmits power having a common resonance frequency, the controlling unit outputs the control voltages so that levels of inductance of each of the dedicated variable inductors are reduced to zero.

15. The wireless power transmission system of claim 11, wherein when the wireless power transmitter wirelessly transmits power having a separate resonance frequency, the controlling unit outputs the control voltage so that inductances of the remaining dedicated variable inductors except for one dedicated variable inductor among the dedicated variable inductors become all zero.

16. The wireless power transmission system of claim 11, wherein the controlling unit outputs the control voltage according to a resonance frequency of a wireless power receiver which is authenticated.

17. The wireless power transmission system of claim 16, wherein when a first wireless power receiver having a first separate resonance frequency and a second wireless power receiver having a second separate resonance frequency are authenticated, the controlling unit outputs the control voltages so that power having the first separate resonance frequency is wirelessly transmitted for a first period of time and outputs the control voltages so that power having the second separate resonance frequency is wirelessly transmitted for a second period of time.

18. The wireless power transmission system of claim 17, wherein when the first wireless power receiver has a priority higher than a priority of the second wireless power receiver, the controlling unit sets the first period of time to be longer than the second period of time.

19. The wireless power transmission system of claim 18, wherein the external server determines the priority based on at least one of a user grade, a charging degree of battery, and temperature of each of the first wireless power receiver and the second wireless power receiver and transmits information regarding the determined priority to the wireless power transmitter.