Wireless Power Transceiver and Wireless Power System

• US 20110127848A1
• Filed: 11/30/2010
• Published: 06/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Nam Yun, Park, Eun Seok, Ryu, Young Ho, Kwon, Sang Wook, Hong, Young Tack
• Granted Patent: US 8,829,724 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 307/104
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/50 using additional energy repeaters between transmitting devices and receiving devices

Abstract

A wireless power transceiver that is disposed between a source resonator and a target resonator and that may increase wireless power transmission efficiency is provided. The wireless power transceiver may include a power receiver that includes a receiving resonator that receives an inbound power from a source resonator, a power transmitter that includes a transmitting resonator that transmits an outbound power to a target resonator, and a coupling controller to control a coupling frequency between the target resonator and the transmitting resonator.

Claims

1. A wireless power transceiver, comprising:

a power receiver comprising a receiving resonator that receives an inbound power from a source resonator;

a power transmitter comprising a transmitting resonator that transmits an outbound power to a target resonator; and

a coupling controller to control a coupling frequency between the target resonator and the transmitting resonator.

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

an isolator to electrically isolate the power receiver and the power transmitter.

3. The wireless power transceiver of claim 1, wherein the coupling controller controls a frequency such that a reflected wave of a transmission signal transmitted from the transmitting resonator to the target resonator has a minimum amplitude, and sets the controlled frequency as the coupling frequency.

4. The wireless power transceiver of claim 1, wherein the coupling controller controls a frequency such that a reflected wave of a transmission signal transmitted from the transmitting resonator to the target resonator is in phase with the transmission signal, and sets the controlled frequency as the coupling frequency.

5. The wireless power transceiver of claim 1, wherein the coupling controller controls a frequency such that a reflected wave of a transmission signal transmitted from the transmitting resonator to the target resonator has a minimum power, and sets the controlled frequency as the coupling frequency.

6. The wireless power transceiver of claim 5, wherein the coupling controller comprises a power detector to measure a power of the reflected wave.

7. The wireless power transceiver of claim 1, wherein the power transmitter further comprises a power distribution circuit to control a magnitude of the outbound power.

8. The wireless power transceiver of claim 1, wherein the power transmitter further comprises a directivity controller to control a direction of the outbound power.

9. The wireless power transceiver of claim 1, wherein the coupling controller comprises a Phase Locked Loop (PLL) circuit to control the coupling frequency.

10. The wireless power transceiver of claim 1, further comprising:

a load to adjust an inbound power transmission distance and an outbound power transmission distance.

11. The wireless power transceiver of claim 1, wherein at least one of the source resonator, the target resonator, the receiving resonator, and the transmitting resonator comprises:

a transmission line comprising a first signal conducting portion, a second signal conducting portion, and a ground conducting portion, and the ground conducting portion corresponds to the first signal conducting portion and the second signal conducting portion;

a first conductor to electrically connect the first signal conducting portion and the ground conducting portion;

a second conductor to electrically connect the second signal conducting portion and the ground conducting portion; and

at least one capacitor inserted between the first signal conducting portion and the second signal conducting portion, and the at least one capacitor is positioned in series with respect to a current flowing between the first signal conducting portion and the second signal conducting portion.

12. The wireless power transceiver of claim 11, wherein the transmission line, the first conductor, and the second conductor form a loop structure.

13. The wireless power transceiver of claim 11, wherein the transmission line, the first conductor, and the second conductor form a rectangular loop structure.

14. The wireless power transceiver of claim 13, further comprising:

a matcher to determine an impedance of a wireless power resonator, and the matcher is positioned integrally within a loop formed by the transmission line, the first conductor, and the second conductor.

15. The wireless power transceiver of claim 14, wherein the matcher has a rectangular shape.

16. The wireless power transceiver of claim 14, wherein the matcher changes a physical shape of the matcher, based on a control signal generated by a controller, in order to adjust the impedance of the wireless power resonator.

17. The wireless power transceiver of claim 16, wherein the controller generates the control signal based on a state of an opposite resonator that receives or transmits power from or to the wireless power resonator.

18. The wireless power transceiver of claim 16, wherein the controller generates the control signal based on at least one of a distance between the wireless power resonator and a wireless power resonator of a wireless power receiver, a reflection coefficient of a wave transmitted from the wireless power resonator to the wireless power resonator of the wireless power receiver, a power transmission gain between the wireless power resonator and the wireless power resonator of the wireless power receiver, and a coupling efficiency between the wireless power resonator and the wireless power resonator of the wireless power receiver.

19. The wireless power transceiver of claim 14, wherein the matcher comprises a conductor for the impedance matching in a location separated from the ground conducting portion by a predetermined distance, and the conductor is formed integrally with the ground conducting portion, and

wherein the impedance of the wireless power resonator is adjusted based on the distance between the ground conducting portion and the conductor for the impedance matching.

20. The wireless power transceiver of claim 14, wherein the matcher comprises at least one active element to adjust the impedance of the wireless power resonator based on a control signal generated by a controller.

21. The wireless power transceiver of claim 11, wherein the at least one capacitor is inserted as a lumped element between the first signal conducting portion and the second signal conducting portion.

22. The wireless power transceiver of claim 11, wherein the at least one capacitor is configured as a distributed element and has a zigzagged structure.

23. The wireless power transceiver of claim 11, wherein a capacitance of the at least one capacitor is set based on at least one of a criterion for enabling the wireless power resonator to have a characteristic of the metamaterial, a criterion for enabling the wireless power resonator to have a negative magnetic permeability in a target frequency, and a criterion for enabling the wireless power resonator to have a zeroth order resonance characteristic in the target frequency.

24. The wireless power transceiver of claim 11, wherein a plurality of conductor lines are disposed in parallel on a surface of the first signal conducting portion and on a surface of the second signal conducting portion, and are shorted to each other at an end portion of each of the first signal conducting portion and the second signal conducting portion.

25. The wireless power transceiver of claim 11, wherein the first signal conducting portion and the ground conducting portion are seamlessly connected to each other, and the second signal conducting portion and the ground conducting portion are seamlessly connected to each other.

26. The wireless power transceiver of claim 11, wherein at least one of the first signal conducting portion, the second signal conducting portion, and the ground conducting portion comprises a hollow space inside.

27. The wireless power transceiver of claim 11, further comprising:

a magnetic core that passes through a space between the first signal conducting portion, the second signal conducting portion, and the ground conducting portion.

28. The wireless power transceiver of claim 11, wherein, when the wireless power resonator comprises at least two transmission lines, the at least two transmission lines are connected in series, in parallel, or in a spiral form, and at least one capacitor is inserted between a first signal conducting portion and a second signal conducting portion that are comprised in each of the at least two transmission lines.

29. A wireless power system, comprising:

at least one source resonator;

at least one target resonator; and

a wireless power transceiver to receive an inbound power from the at least one source resonator, to transmit an outbound power to the at least one target resonator, and to control a coupling frequency between the at least one source resonator and the at least one target resonator.