COMMUNICATION APPARATUS AND COMMUNICATION METHOD IN WIRELESS POWER TRANSMISSION SYSTEM

• US 20150334723A1
• Filed: 07/23/2015
• Published: 11/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, Nam Yun, KWON, Sang Wook, PARK, Eun Seok
• Granted Patent: US 9,736,853 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/30 AC to DC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2210/40 DC to AC converters
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/122 Circuits or methods for driving the primary coil, e.g. supplying electric power to the coil
• 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 53/36 by positioning the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/005 Mechanical details of housing or structure aiming to accommodate the power transfer means, e.g. mechanical integration of coils, antennas or transducers into emitting or receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/40 using two or more transmitting or receiving devices H02J50/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/70 involving the reduction of electric, magnetic or electromagnetic leakage fields
• 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 7/00304 Overcurrent protection
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/08 Testing, supervising or monitoring using real traffic
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/346 distributing total power among users or channels
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 72/542 using measured or perceived quality
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A communication apparatus in a wireless power transmission system includes an operating mode converter configured to switch an operating mode of the communication apparatus between a transmitting mode and a receiving mode according to a predetermined timing; and a transmitting unit configured to transmit state information of a channel occupied by a source including the communication apparatus using a continuous wave signal while the communication apparatus is operating in the transmitting mode irrespective of whether the communication apparatus is performing communication via the occupied channel. The source including the communication apparatus is configured to transmit wireless power. The occupied channel has been assigned to the source including the communication apparatus from a plurality of channels available in a communication cell for assignment to a plurality of sources each configured to transmit wireless power.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus in a wireless power transmission system, the communication apparatus comprising:

a state information detecting unit configured to detect state information of a plurality of channels available in a communication cell that have been assigned to a plurality of sources each configured to transmit wireless power;

an identifying unit configured to identify sources that are operating in a transmitting mode among the plurality of sources based on the state information;

a determining unit configured to determine a channel for which a channel assignment is to be requested based on the state information and the sources identified by the identifying unit, the determined channel being one of the plurality of channels; and

a transmitting unit configured to transmit a channel assignment request message to the source to which the determined channel is assigned while the source to which the determined channel is assigned is operating in a receiving mode.

2. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the state information detecting unit is further configured to detect a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) and a link quality indicator (LQI) of each of the plurality of channels as at least part of the state information.

3. The communication apparatus of claim 2, wherein the determining unit is further configured to determine the channel for which a channel assignment is to be requested based on the RSSI and the LQI.

4. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the identifying unit is further configured to identify ones of the plurality of sources from which a continuous wave signal is received as the sources that are operating in the transmitting mode.

5. The communication apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transmitting unit is further configured to wait until the source to which the determined channel is assigned is operating in the receiving mode to transmit the channel assignment request message to the source to which the source to which the determined channel is assigned when the source to which the determined channel is operating in the transmitting mode at a time the channel for which a channel assignment is to be requested is determined.

6. The communication apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a receiving unit configured to receive a channel assignment approval message or a channel assignment disapproval message from the source to which the determined channel is assigned in response to the channel assignment request message transmitted to the source to which the determined channel is assigned.

7. A communication method in a wireless power transmission system, the communication method comprising:

detecting state information of a plurality of channels available in a communication cell that have been assigned to a plurality of sources each configured to transmit wireless power;

identifying sources that are operating in a transmitting mode among the plurality of sources based on the state information;

determining a channel for which a channel assignment is to be requested based on the state information and the sources identified by the identifying, the determined channel being one of the plurality of channels; and

transmitting a channel assignment request message to the source to which the determined channel is assigned while the source to which the determined channel is assigned is operating in a receiving mode.

8. The communication method of claim 7, wherein the detecting comprises detecting a received signal strength indicator (RSSI) and a link quality indicator (LQI) of each of the plurality of channels as at least part of the state information.

9. The communication method of claim 8, wherein the determining comprises determining the channel for which a channel assignment is to be requested based on the RSSI and the LQI.

10. The communication method of claim 7, further comprising receiving a channel assignment approval message or a channel assignment disapproval message from the source to which the determined channel is assigned in response to the channel assignment request message transmitted to the source to which the determined channel is assigned.

11. The communication method of claim 10, further comprising:

communicating with a target in a power cell configured to receive wireless power via the determined channel after the channel assignment approval message is received; and

transmitting a channel use termination message indicating that use of the determined channel has been terminated to the source to which the determined channel was assigned after the communicating with the target is terminated.