Wireless power transmission device, wireless power transmission system, and wireless power transmission method

• US 10,777,886 B2
• Filed: 03/01/2019
• Issued: 09/15/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/18/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Murata, Kentaro, Onizuka, Kohei, Mitomo, Toshiya
• Primary Examiner(s): Gannon, Levi
• Application Number:
  US16/290,403
• Publication Number:
  US 20200091602A1
• Time in Patent Office: 564 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/2611 Means for null steering; Adaptive interference nulling
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/2623 composed of two antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/28 varying the amplitude
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/36 with variable phase-shifters
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/23 characterised by the type of transmitting antennas, e.g. directional array antennas or Yagi antennas
• 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 50/60 responsive to the presence of foreign objects, e.g. detection of living beings
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment

Abstract

A wireless power transmission device includes a power transmitter to transmit a wireless power signal through a plurality of first antennas, a propagation path estimation unit to estimate first propagation path information characterizing a propagation path between the plurality of first antennas and a predetermined antenna, a propagation path extraction unit to extract second propagation path information characterizing a propagation path passing through a moving body, based on at least one of a difference on a time axis of a plurality of pieces of the first propagation path information each acquired at different times, and filtering on a frequency axis, a weight calculator to calculate a weight vector that determines a directivity of a combined power transmission beam formed by the plurality of first antennas, and a controller to control an amplitude and a phase of the wireless power signal inputted to each of the plurality of first antennas.

Claims

1. A wireless power transmission device comprising

a power transmitter to transmit a wireless power signal through a plurality of first antennas;

a propagation path estimation unit to estimate first propagation path information characterizing a propagation path between the plurality of first antennas and a predetermined antenna, based on a propagation path estimation signal having a same frequency as a frequency of the wireless power signal and being transmitted from the predetermined antenna;

a propagation path extraction unit to extract second propagation path information characterizing a propagation path passing through a moving body, based on at least one of a difference on a time axis of a plurality of pieces of the first propagation path information each acquired at different times, and filtering on a frequency axis;

a weight calculator to calculate a weight vector that determines a directivity of a combined power transmission beam formed by the plurality of first antennas, based on at least one of the first propagation path information and the second propagation path information; and

a controller to control an amplitude and a phase of the wireless power signal inputted to each of the plurality of first antennas, based on the weight vector.

2. The wireless power transmission device according to claim 1, wherein

the predetermined antenna is a second antenna of a power receiving device to receive the wireless power signal transmitted from the power transmitter;

and

the propagation path estimation unit estimates first propagation path information characterizing a propagation path between the plurality of first antennas and the second antenna, based on the propagation path estimation signal transmitted from the power receiving device through the second antenna.

3. The wireless power transmission device according to claim 1, wherein

the predetermined antenna is a third antenna provided in the power transmitter;

and

the propagation path estimation unit estimates first propagation path information characterizing a propagation path between the plurality of first antennas and the third antenna, based on the propagation path estimation signal transmitted by the third antenna.

4. The wireless power transmission device according to claim 3, wherein

the third antenna is a part of a first antenna among the plurality of first antennas provided in the power transmitter;

and

the power transmitter comprises a signal source to generate the wireless power signal and the propagation path estimation signal.

5. The wireless power transmission device according to claim 1, wherein

the predetermined antenna is a fourth antenna of a moving-body detection device provided separately from the wireless power transmission device and a power receiving device to receive the wireless power signal transmitted from the power transmitter;

and

the propagation path estimation unit estimates first propagation path information characterizing a propagation path between the plurality of first antennas and the fourth antenna, based on the propagation path estimation signal transmitted by the fourth antenna.

6. The wireless power transmission device according to claim 2, wherein

the weight calculator calculates the weight vector so that a power transmission beam at a position of the moving body becomes a null and transmission of wireless power to the power receiving device is performed.

7. A wireless power transmission system comprising:

a power transmission device to transmit a wireless power signal through a plurality of first antennas; and

a power receiving device to receive the wireless power signal through a second antenna, the wireless power transmission system comprising;

a propagation path estimation unit to estimate first propagation path information characterizing a propagation path between the plurality of first antennas and a predetermined antenna, based on a propagation path estimation signal having a same frequency as a frequency of the wireless power signal and being transmitted from the predetermined antenna;

a propagation path extraction unit to extract second propagation path information characterizing a propagation path passing through a moving body, based on at least one of a difference on a time axis of a plurality of pieces of the first propagation path information each acquired at different times, and filtering on a frequency axis;

a weight calculator to calculate a weight vector that determines a directivity of a combined power transmission beam formed by the plurality of first antennas, based on at least one of the first propagation path information and the second propagation path information; and

a controller to control an amplitude and a phase of the wireless power signal inputted to each of the plurality of first antennas, based on the weight vector.

8. The wireless power transmission system according to claim 7, wherein

the predetermined antenna is a second antenna of a power receiving device to receive the wireless power signal transmitted from the power transmitter;

and

the propagation path estimation unit estimates first propagation path information characterizing a propagation path between the plurality of first antennas and the second antenna, based on the propagation path estimation signal transmitted from the power receiving device through the second antenna.

9. The wireless power transmission system according to claim 7, wherein

the predetermined antenna is a third antenna provided in the power transmitter;

and

the propagation path estimation unit estimates first propagation path information characterizing a propagation path between the plurality of first antennas and the third antenna, based on the propagation path estimation signal transmitted by the third antenna.

10. The wireless power transmission system according to claim 9, wherein

the third antenna is a part of a first antenna among the plurality of first antennas provided in the power transmitter;

and

the power transmitter comprises a signal source to generate the wireless power signal and the propagation path estimation signal.

11. The wireless power transmission system according to claim 7, wherein

the predetermined antenna is a fourth antenna of a moving-body detection device provided separately from the wireless power transmission device and a power receiving device to receive the wireless power signal transmitted from the power transmitter;

and

the propagation path estimation unit estimates first propagation path information characterizing a propagation path between the plurality of first antennas and the fourth antenna, based on the propagation path estimation signal transmitted by the fourth antenna.

12. The wireless power transmission system according to claim 8, wherein

the weight calculator calculates the weight vector so that a power transmission beam at a position of the moving body becomes a null and transmission of wireless power to the power receiving device is performed.

13. A wireless power transmission method for performing wireless power transmission between a power transmission device to transmit a wireless power signal through a plurality of first antennas, and a power receiving device to receive the wireless power signal through a second antenna, the wireless power transmission method comprising:

estimating first propagation path information characterizing a propagation path between the plurality of first antennas and a predetermined antenna, based on a propagation path estimation signal having a same frequency as that of the wireless power signal and being transmitted from the predetermined antenna;

extracting second propagation path information characterizing a propagation path passing through a moving body, based on at least one of a difference on a time axis of a plurality of pieces of the first propagation path information each acquired at different times, and filtering on a frequency axis; and

calculating a weight vector that determines a directivity of a combined power transmission beam formed by the plurality of first antennas, based on at least one of the first propagation path information and the second propagation path information, and controlling an amplitude and a phase of the wireless power signal inputted to each of the plurality of first antennas, based on the weight vector.

14. The wireless power transmission method according to claim 13, wherein

the predetermined antenna is a second antenna of a power receiving device to receive the wireless power signal transmitted from the power transmitter;

and

the estimating of the first propagation path information estimates first propagation path information characterizing a propagation path between the plurality of first antennas and the second antenna, based on the propagation path estimation signal transmitted from the power receiving device through the second antenna.

15. The wireless power transmission method according to claim 13, wherein

the predetermined antenna is a third antenna provided in the power transmitter;

and

the estimating of the first propagation path information estimates first propagation path information characterizing a propagation path between the plurality of first antennas and the third antenna, based on the propagation path estimation signal transmitted by the third antenna.

16. The wireless power transmission method according to claim 15, wherein

the third antenna is a part of a first antenna among the plurality of first antennas provided in the power transmitter,

the power transmitter further comprises:

generating the wireless power signal and the propagation path estimation signal.

17. The wireless power transmission method according to claim 13, wherein

the predetermined antenna is a fourth antenna of a moving-body detection device provided separately from the wireless power transmission device and a power receiving device to receive the wireless power signal transmitted from the power transmitter;

and

the estimating of the first propagation path information estimates first propagation path information characterizing a propagation path between the plurality of first antennas and the fourth antenna, based on the propagation path estimation signal transmitted by the fourth antenna.

18. The wireless power transmission method according to claim 14, wherein

the calculating of the weight vector calculates the weight vector so that a power transmission beam at a position of the moving body becomes a null and transmission of wireless power to the power receiving device is performed.