Wireless power transfer system having wireless power transfer system-charger

• US 10,218,208 B2
• Filed: 03/11/2015
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 03/11/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Innotek Company Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Innotek Company Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Park, Jay
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Arun C
• Application Number:
  US15/124,865
• Publication Number:
  US 20170018951A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,448 Days
• Field of Search: 320109
• 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 7/0048 Detection of remaining charge capacity or state of charge [SOC]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00712 the cycle being controlled or terminated in response to electric parameters

Abstract

One embodiment of the present invention can provide: a wireless power transfer system which can reduce the error of the output voltage of a DC-DC transformer, and at the same time, change the magnitude of the output voltage according to the power transfer method and efficiency; and a wireless power transfer system which can variably control an output control port in a control part, and thus actively control the output of the DC-DC transformer regardless of the characteristics of the DC-DC transformer.

Claims

1. A wireless power transfer system-charger comprising:

a power supply;

a transformer unit for converting a voltage supplied by the power supply into a direct current (DC) voltage; and

a controller for adjusting a level of the DC voltage of the transformer unit,

wherein the transformer unit includes a DC-DC converter and a control unit for receiving an output voltage of the DC-DC converter and adjusting the output voltage,

wherein the control unit includes a divider for dividing the output voltage of the DC-DC converter,

wherein the divider includes;

a first resistor connected to an output terminal of the DC-DC converter and a node; and

a second resistor connected between the node and the ground, and

wherein the controller is connected to the node to adjust the divided voltage of the divider.

2. The wireless power transfer system-charger according to claim 1, wherein the controller adjusts the divided voltage according to a wireless charging state to adjust the level of the DC voltage of the transformer unit.

3. The wireless power transfer system-charger according to claim 2, wherein the controller further includes an output control port for outputting a controller output voltage and a resistor for connecting the output control port and the divider.

4. The wireless power transfer system-charger according to claim 3, wherein the level of the DC voltage of the transformer unit is adjusted in inverse proportion to the controller output voltage.

5. The wireless power transfer system-charger according to claim 1, wherein the control unit adjusts the level of the DC voltage of the transformer unit based on the divided voltage output from the divider.

6. The wireless power transfer system-charger according to claim 1, wherein the control unit includes:

an error amplifier for comparing the divided voltage with a reference voltage and amplifying an error; and

a comparator for outputting a rectangular wave pulse corresponding to the output of the error amplifier.

7. The wireless power transfer system-charger according to claim 6, wherein the divider includes a plurality of resistors for dividing the output voltage of the DC-DC converter and supplying the divided voltage to the error amplifier.

8. The wireless power transfer system-charger according to claim 1, wherein the controller includes an output control port for adjusting the divided voltage.

9. The wireless power transfer system-charger according to claim 8, wherein the divider further includes:

a third resistor connected between the node and the output control port of the controller.

10. The wireless power transfer system-charger according to claim 5, further comprising a transmit antenna system,

wherein the controller adjusts the divided voltage based on current flowing in the transmit antenna system.

11. The wireless power transfer system-charger according to claim 5, wherein the controller adjusts the divided voltage based on communication information between the wireless power transfer system-charger and a wireless power transfer system-device for receiving power from the wireless power transfer system-charger.

12. The wireless power transfer system-charger according to claim 6, wherein the control unit further includes a switch drive unit for driving the DC-DC converter based on the output of the comparator.

13. The wireless power transfer system-charger according to claim 6, wherein the control unit and the DC-DC converter are integrated.

14. The wireless power transfer system-charger according to claim 6, wherein:

the error amplifier includes a first operational amplifier, the output voltage of the transformer being applied to an inverting terminal of the operational amplifier through the divider and the reference voltage being applied to a non-inverting terminal of the operating amplifier, and

the comparator outputs the rectangular wave pulse based on the output voltage of the error amplifier.

15. The wireless power transfer system-charger according to claim 9, wherein:

the size of the first resistor is less than that of the third resistor, and

the size of the third resistor is less than that of the second resistor.

16. The wireless power transfer system-charger according to claim 10, wherein the controller adjusts the divided voltage based on current flowing in a coil of the transmit antenna system.

17. The wireless power transfer system-charger according to claim 11, wherein the controller adjusts the divided voltage based on current flowing in a coil of the wireless power transfer system-device.

18. A wireless power transfer system comprising:

a wireless power transfer system-charger; and

a wireless power transfer system-device for receiving power from the wireless power transfer system-charger,

wherein the wireless power transfer system-charger includes;

a power supply;

a transformer unit for converting a voltage supplied by the power supply into a direct current (DC) voltage;

a controller for adjusting a level of the DC voltage of the transformer unit;

a rectification and filtering unit for supplying a DC voltage to the transformer unit;

a power converter for converting an output voltage of the transformer unit into an alternating current (AC) voltage; and

a transmission-side matching unit for performing impedance matching between the wireless power transfer system-charger and the wireless power transfer system-device,

wherein the transformer unit includes a DC-DC converter and a control unit for receiving an output voltage of the DC-DC converter and adjusting the output voltage, and

wherein the control unit includes a divider for dividing the output voltage of the DC-DC converter,

wherein the divider includes;

a first resistor connected to an output terminal of the DC-DC converter and a node; and

a second resistor connected between the node and the ground, and

wherein the controller is connected to the node to adjust the divided voltage of the divider.

19. The wireless power transfer system according to claim 18, wherein the wireless power transfer system-device includes:

a reception-side matching unit for performing impedance matching between the wireless power transfer system-charger and the wireless power transfer-device;

a rectifier for rectifying an AC voltage output from an antenna system of the wireless power transfer system-device and generating a DC voltage; and

a reception-side transformer for adjusting a level of the DC voltage output from the rectifier.