Wireless power transmission apparatus and wireless power transmission system

• US 9,853,457 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2014
• Issued: 12/26/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kanno, Hiroshi, Yuse, Yoshio, Hanafusa, Sumio, Yamamoto, Atsushi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kessie, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US14/522,666
• Publication Number:
  US 20150115730A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,159 Days
• Field of Search: 307104
• 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 50/10 using inductive coupling
• 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 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00036 Charger exchanging data with battery
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00047 with provisions for charging different types of batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries

Abstract

In a case that the at least one transmission antenna is transmitting a high-frequency power to at least a first wireless power reception apparatus and it is detected that at least a second wireless power reception apparatus is newly electromagnetically coupled with at least one transmission antenna, a wireless power transmission apparatus changes one of a frequency or a amplitude of the high-frequency power depending on a voltage value received from each of at least the first and second wireless power reception apparatuses, to regulate the voltage value of each power reception coil included in each of at least the first and second wireless power reception apparatuses to be equal to or lower than an upper limit value of the voltage value, circuit elements included in each of the first and second wireless power reception apparatuses being durable for the upper limit value.

Claims

1. A wireless power transmission apparatus comprising:

at least one transmission antenna that is capable of being electromagnetically coupled with reception antennas included in each of a plurality of wireless power reception apparatuses, each of the reception antennas including a power reception coil, which transmits high-frequency power to the plurality of wireless power reception apparatuses;

an inverter circuit that generates the high-frequency power and supplies the generated high-frequency power to the at least one transmission antenna;

a receiving circuit that receives a voltage value of each power reception coil from each of the plurality of wireless power reception apparatuses;

a control circuit that controls a transmission condition including a frequency or an amplitude of the high-frequency power supplied from the inverter circuit, depending on the received voltage value,

wherein in a case that the at least one transmission antenna is transmitting the high-frequency power to at least a first wireless power reception apparatus, and the control circuit detects that at least a second wireless power reception apparatus is additionally electromagnetically coupled with the at least one transmission antenna,

the control circuit changes one of the frequency or the amplitude of the high-frequency power depending on the voltage value received from each of at least the first and second wireless power reception apparatuses, to regulate the voltage value of each power reception coil included in each of at least the first and second wireless power reception apparatuses to be equal to or lower than an upper limit value of the voltage value, circuit elements included in each of the first and second wireless power reception apparatuses being durable for the upper limit value,

wherein the control circuit regulates the voltage value of each power reception coil included in each of at least the first and second wireless power reception apparatuses to be equal to or smaller than the upper limit value of the voltage value and to be equal to or greater than a minimum limit value of the voltage value, circuit elements included in each of the first and second wireless power reception apparatuses being operable above the minimum limit value,

wherein in the case that the control circuit detects that at least the second wireless power reception apparatus is additionally electromagnetically coupled with the at least one transmission antenna, the control circuit changes the frequency of the high-frequency power to regulate a difference among the voltage values of each power reception coil included in each of at least the first and second wireless power reception apparatuses, within a voltage range corresponding to a difference between the upper limit value of the voltage and the minimum limit value, and wherein the control circuit changes the amplitude of the high-frequency power, in a state in which the changed frequency of the high-frequency power is maintained at the changed frequency, to regulate the voltage value of each power reception coil included in each of at least the first and second wireless power reception apparatuses to be equal to or smaller than the upper limit value and equal to or greater than minimum limit value.

2. The wireless power transmission apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the change of one of the frequency or the amplitude of the high-frequency power comprises a stop or a reduction of one of the frequency or the amplitude of the high-frequency power.

3. The wireless power transmission apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a position detection coil; and

a position detection circuit that, in a case that the position detection circuit detects that at least the second wireless power reception apparatus is additionally electromagnetically coupled with the at least one transmission antenna, and using the position detection coil, detects a relative position of the reception antenna included in at least the second wireless power reception apparatus with respect to the transmission antenna, or detects change of the voltage value received from at least the second wireless power reception apparatuses.

4. The wireless power transmission apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a storage apparatus which in advance stores data regarding frequency characteristics of the voltage values corresponding to at least the first and second wireless power reception apparatuses, wherein in a case that the control circuit detects that at least the second wireless power reception apparatus is additionally electromagnetically coupled with the at least one transmission antenna, the control circuit determines the frequency and the amplitude of the high-frequency power transmitted to the first and second wireless power reception apparatuses, based on the frequency characteristics stored in the storage.

5. A wireless power transmission system comprising:

the wireless power transmission apparatus according to claim 1; and

a plurality of wireless power reception apparatuses each including a reception antenna having a resonance circuit including a power reception coil.