Device housing a battery and charging pad

• US 8,410,751 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2010
• Issued: 04/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Terao, Kyozo, Toya, Shoichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Dunn, Drew A
• Assistant Examiner(s): PELTON, NATHANIEL R
• Application Number:
  US12/814,723
• Publication Number:
  US 20100315039A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,023 Days
• Field of Search: 320/108, 320/115
• US Class Current: 320/108
• 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 50/12 of the resonant type
• 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

Abstract

A device housing a battery (50) includes a receiving coil (51), and a charging pad (10) includes a transmitting coil (11) that magnetically couples with, and supplies charging power to the receiving coil. The device further includes a modulator circuit (61) that changes the impedance of the receiving coil according to internal battery data. The charging pad further includes a detection circuit (17) that detects receiving coil impedance changes to detect the battery data. The modulator circuit has a load circuit (62) connected in parallel with the receiving coil and has a series-connected switching device (64) and impedance modulating capacitor (63), and a control circuit (65) that switches the load circuit switching device ON and OFF according to the battery data. The modulator circuit switches the switching device 64 ON and OFF to transmit battery data to the charging pad.

Claims

1. A combination comprising:

a battery housing device housing an internal battery, the battery housing device having a receiving coil that supplies charging power to the internal battery; and

a charging pad having a transmitting coil that magnetically couples with the receiving coil of the battery housing device and supplies charging power,

wherein the battery housing device further comprises a modulator circuit that modulates the impedance of the receiving coil with internal battery information,

wherein the charging pad further comprises a detection circuit that detects battery information via the transmitting coil by detecting receiving coil impedance changes made by the modulator circuit,

wherein the modulator circuit comprises a control circuit and a load circuit connected in parallel with the receiving coil, the load circuit having a switching device connected in series with an impedance modulating capacitor, and the control circuit switches the load circuit switching device ON and OFF in accordance with battery information,

wherein the modulator circuit switches the switching device ON and OFF to transmit battery information to the charging pad, and

wherein the battery housing device further comprises a battery data detection circuit that detects internal battery information, the battery data detection circuit being connected between the internal battery and the modulator circuit.

2. The combination as cited in claim 1, wherein the detection circuit detects receiving coil impedance changes to detect battery information by voltage level changes in the transmitting coil.

3. The combination as cited in claim 1, wherein the detection circuit detects receiving coil impedance changes to detect battery information by current level changes in the transmitting coil.

4. The combination as cited in claim 1, wherein the detection circuit detects receiving coil impedance changes to detect battery information by changes in the current-voltage phase relation in the transmitting coil.

5. The combination as cited in claim 1 wherein the detection circuit detects receiving coil impedance changes to detect battery information by transmission efficiency changes in the transmitting coil.

6. The combination as cited in claim 1, wherein the battery housing device further comprises a series capacitor connected in series with the receiving coil.

7. The combination as cited in claim 1 wherein the battery housing device transmits battery information to the charging pad that includes battery voltage during charging.

8. The combination as cited in claim 1, wherein the battery housing device transmits battery information to the charging pad that includes battery charging current.

9. The combination as cited in claim 1, wherein the battery housing device transmits battery information to the charging pad that includes battery temperature during charging.

10. The combination as cited in claim 1, wherein the battery housing device transmits battery information to the charging pad that includes the serial number of the battery.

11. The combination as cited in claim 1, wherein the battery housing device transmits battery information to the charging pad that includes the allowable charging current that sets the charging current for the battery.

12. The combination as cited in claim 1, wherein the device housing a battery transmits battery information to the charging pad that includes the allowable temperature that controls charging.

13. The combination as cited in claim 1, wherein the battery housing device further comprises a rectifying circuit that rectifies AC power induced in the receiving coil from the transmitting coil, and the load circuit is connected to an input-side of the rectifying circuit.

14. The combination as cited in claim 13, wherein the rectifying circuit is a synchronous rectifying circuit.

15. The combination as cited in claim 13, wherein the rectifying circuit is a diode-bridge circuit.

16. The combination as cited in claim 1, wherein the load circuit further comprises a pair of series-connected switching devices, and an impedance modulating capacitor connected in series with each of the switching devices;

wherein a connection node between the pair of switching devices is connected to a ground line, and the pair of switching devices is simultaneously controlled ON and OFF by the control circuit.

17. The combination as cited in claim 6, wherein the battery housing device is configured with a single capacitor serving as both the series capacitor and the impedance modulating capacitor;

and the switching device switches the capacitor to act as the series capacitor or the impedance modulating capacitor.

18. The combination as cited in claim 17, wherein the single capacitor is connected between the receiving coil and a rectifying circuit, and the switching device implements a shorting circuit that short circuits the rectifying circuit side of the single capacitor.

19. The combination as cited in claim 1, wherein the switching device is a photo-transistor that switches ON and OFF via light.

20. A combination of a battery housing device and a charging pad, wherein:

the battery housing device comprises an internal battery and a receiving coil that supplies charging power to the internal battery;

the charging pad comprises a transmitting coil that magnetically couples with the receiving coil of the battery housing device and supplies charging power,

the battery housing device further comprises a modulator circuit that modulates the impedance of the receiving coil in accordance with internal battery information,

the charging pad further comprises a detection circuit that detects battery information via the transmitting coil by detecting receiving coil impedance changes made by the modulator circuit,

the modulator circuit comprises a control circuit and a load circuit connected in parallel with the receiving coil, the load circuit having a switching device connected in series with an impedance modulating capacitor, the control circuit switches the load circuit switching device ON and OFF in accordance with battery information,

the modulator circuit switches the switching device ON and OFF to transmit battery information to the charging pad,

the charging pad further comprises;

a case having a charging region capable of receiving the battery housing device in a removable manner;

a moving mechanism that moves the transmitting coil to a position in close proximity to the receiving coil; and

a position detection controller that determines the position of the receiving coil in the battery housing device placed on the charging region and controls the moving mechanism to move the transmitting coil close to the receiving coil in the battery housing device,

wherein the position detection controller further comprises position detection coils disposed at a side of an inner surface of a top plate of the case, a detection signal generating circuit that supplies position detection signals to the position detection coils, a receiving circuit that receives echo signals output from the receiving coil to the position detection coils due to excitation of the receiving coil by position detection signals supplied to the position detection coils from the detection signal generating circuit, and a discrimination circuit that determines receiving coil position from the echo signals received by the receiving circuit,

wherein the battery housing device further comprises a rectifying circuit connected to the receiving coil that converts AC induced in the receiving coil to DC to supply the internal battery with charging power, and a series capacitor connected in series with the receiving coil to input receiving coil AC to the rectifying circuit, and

wherein, when the position detection controller issues position detection signals, the modulator circuit control circuit switches the switching device ON to connect the impedance modulating capacitor to the receiving coil.