Wireless power transmission method and apparatus for stably transmitting power to plurality of wireless power reception apparatuses

• US 9,796,281 B2
• Filed: 07/03/2014
• Issued: 10/24/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/07/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Jae Hyun, Ryu, Young Ho, Kwon, Sang Wook, Kim, Ki Young, Kim, Nam Yun, Kim, Dong Zo, Kim, Bong Chul, Park, Yun Kwon, Song, Keum Su, Ahn, Chi Hyung, Lee, Byoung Hee
• Primary Examiner(s): Amrany, Adi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Htun, Win
• Application Number:
  US14/323,132
• Publication Number:
  US 20150042169A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,209 Days
• Field of Search: 307104, 307108
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/10 DC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/126 Methods for pairing a vehicle and a charging station, e.g. establishing a one-to-one relation between a wireless power transmitter and a wireless power receiver
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles

Abstract

A wireless power transmission apparatus includes a plurality of transmission (TX) resonators configured to resonate with at least one reception (RX) resonator, and wirelessly transmit power to the at least one RX resonator; and a frequency controller configured to control the input frequency so that power is stably supplied to the at least one RX resonator.

Claims

1. A wireless power transmission apparatus comprising:

a plurality of transmission (TX) resonators connected in parallel with each other or in series with each other, each of the TX resonators resonating with a corresponding reception (RX) resonator at a resonant frequency, and wirelessly transmitting power to the corresponding RX resonator; and

a frequency controller configured to control an input frequency at which a feeder supplies power to each of the TX resonators,

wherein the TX resonators comprise TX resonators operating at different resonant frequencies, and

wherein the frequency controller tracks the input frequency that enables the power to be stably supplied to the corresponding RX resonator and the power is supplied to the corresponding RX resonator based on the tracked input frequency.

2. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 1, wherein the frequency controller is further configured to control the input frequency so that wireless power transmission information received from a wireless power reception apparatus comprising at least one RX resonator is equal to or greater than a threshold.

3. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 2, wherein the wireless power transmission information comprises information associated with any one or any combination of a current, a voltage, and a power of the at least one RX resonator.

4. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 1, wherein the frequency controller is further configured to control the input frequency so that a wireless power transmission efficiency, calculated based on wireless power transmission information received from a wireless power reception apparatus comprising the at least one RX resonator, is equal to or greater than a predetermined efficiency.

5. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 4, wherein the wireless power transmission efficiency comprises any one or any combination of a current ratio, a voltage ratio, and a power ratio of the at least one RX resonator with respect to the plurality of TX resonators.

6. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 1, wherein the frequency controller is further configured to control the input frequency to increase a wireless power transmission efficiency of an RX resonator, among at least one RX resonator, having a coupling coefficient lower than a predetermined coefficient.

7. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 1, wherein the frequency controller is further configured to control the input frequency so that a wireless power transmission efficiency of each of at least one RX resonator is equal to or greater than a predetermined efficiency.

8. A wireless power transmission apparatus comprising:

a multi-resonator comprising a plurality of transmission (TX) resonators, the plurality of TX resonators being designed to have resonant frequencies matched to a resonant frequency of a reception (RX) resonator; and

a feeder configured to supply power to each of the plurality of TX resonators of the multi-resonator at an input frequency,

wherein the plurality of TX resonators are connected in parallel with each other or in series with each other,

wherein the TX resonators comprise TX resonators operating at different resonant frequencies,

wherein the input frequency of each of the TX resonators is tracked to stably supply power to a corresponding RX resonator, and

wherein each of the TX resonators resonates with the corresponding RX resonator at the tracked input frequency, and wirelessly transmits power to the corresponding RX resonator at the tracked input frequency.

9. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 8, wherein the feeder is further configured to supply power having a same input frequency to each of the plurality of TX resonators;

and

the plurality of TX resonators are designed so that the resonant frequencies are matched to the resonant frequency of the RX resonator during mutual resonance between the plurality of TX resonators and the RX resonator.

10. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 8, wherein the feeder is further configured to supply the power to the multi-resonator through an inductive coupling between the feeder and each of the plurality of TX resonators.

11. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 8, wherein in response to the plurality of TX resonators being connected in parallel with each other, the feeder is connected in series with the multi-resonator.

12. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 8, wherein in response to the plurality of TX resonators being connected in series with each other, the feeder is connected in parallel with the multi-resonator.

13. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 8, wherein the plurality of TX resonators are arranged in a two-dimensional pattern.

14. A wireless power transmission method comprising:

tracking an input frequency at which power is stably supplied from each of transmission (TX) resonators to a corresponding reception (RX) resonator; and

wirelessly transmitting the power to the corresponding RX resonator at the tracked input frequency,

wherein the TX resonators are connected in parallel with each other or in series with each other and the TX resonators comprise TX resonators operating at different resonant frequencies.

15. The wireless power transmission method of claim 14, wherein the tracking comprises tracking an input frequency that enables wireless power transmission information received from a wireless power reception apparatus comprising at least one RX resonator to be equal to or greater than a threshold.

16. The wireless power transmission method of claim 14, wherein the tracking comprises tracking the input frequency based on information associated with any one or any combination of a current, a voltage, and a power of at least one RX resonator.

17. The wireless power transmission method of claim 14, wherein the tracking comprises:

calculating a wireless power transmission efficiency based on wireless power transmission information received from a wireless power reception apparatus comprising at least one RX resonator; and

tracking the input frequency based on the calculated wireless power transmission efficiency.

18. The wireless power transmission method of claim 17, wherein the tracking of the input frequency based on the calculated wireless power transmission efficiency comprises tracking the input frequency based on any one or any combination of a current ratio, a voltage ratio, and a power ratio of the at least one RX resonator with respect to the TX resonators.

19. The wireless power transmission method of claim 14, wherein the tracking comprises tracking an input frequency that enables an increase in a wireless power transmission efficiency of an RX resonator having a coupling coefficient that is lower than a coefficient among at least one RX resonator.

20. The wireless power transmission method of claim 14, wherein the tracking comprises tracking an input frequency that enables a wireless power transmission efficiency of each of at least one RX resonator to be equal to or greater than a predetermined efficiency.

21. A wireless power transmission apparatus comprising:

a plurality of transmission (TX) resonators configured to resonate with at least one reception (RX) resonator, and wirelessly transmit power to the at least one RX resonator; and

a single matching network configured to match the plurality of TX resonators to the at least one RX resonator to increase a wireless power transmission efficiency of wirelessly transmitting the power to the at least one RX resonator,

wherein the plurality of TX resonators are connected in parallel with each other or in series with each other, and the TX resonators comprise TX resonators operating at different resonant frequencies,

wherein an input frequency, at which power is stably supplied from each of TX resonators to a corresponding RX resonator, is tracked, and

wherein each of the TX resonators resonates with the corresponding RX resonator at the tracked input frequency, and wirelessly transmits power to the corresponding RX resonator at the tracked input frequency.

22. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 21, further comprising a single feeder configured to supply power to each of the plurality of TX resonators.

23. The wireless power transmission apparatus of claim 22, further comprising a frequency controller configured to control the input frequency at which the single feeder supplies the power to each of the TX resonators.