Battery charger cradle

• US 9,124,106 B2
• Filed: 06/06/2014
• Issued: 09/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/18/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Toya, Shoichi, Mizoguchi, Yasunari, Satsuma, Eiji, Terao, Kyozo
• Primary Examiner(s): Tso, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): OMAR, AHMED H
• Application Number:
  US14/297,920
• Publication Number:
  US 20140285144A1
• Time in Patent Office: 452 Days
• Field of Search: 320/108
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/60 responsive to the presence of foreign objects, e.g. detection of living beings
• 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 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0045 concerning the insertion or the connection of the batteries

Abstract

In a battery charger cradle, a battery incorporated in a battery built-in device is charged by electric power induced to an induction coil. The cradle includes a primary coil for inducing electromotive force to the induction coil, a casing having a top plate atop of which the battery built-in device is placed, a movement mechanism for moving the primary coil along an inner surface of the top plate, and a position detection controller for detecting a position of the battery built-in device placed on the top plate and controlling the movement mechanism to bring the primary coil closer to the induction coil in the battery built-in device. When the battery built-in device is placed on the top plate, the position detection controller detects the position of the battery built-in device, and the movement mechanism moves the primary coil closer to the induction coil in the battery built-in device.

Claims

1. A battery charger cradle for use with a battery built-in device having an induction coil and a battery rechargeable with power induced by the induction coil, the battery charger cradle comprising:

a plate on which the battery built-in device is to be placed;

a primary coil for inducing electromotive force to the induction coil;

a movement mechanism for moving the primary coil; and

a position detection controller for detecting a position of the induction coil and controlling the movement mechanism to bring the primary coil closer to the induction coil,

the position detection controller including;

a plurality of position detection coils arrayed in two directions along a surface of the plate;

a receiver circuit, connected to the position detection coils, for receiving a signal detected by the position detection coils; and

a discrimination decision circuit for determining a level of the signal received by the receiver circuit and judging the position of the induction coil on the basis of the level of the signal.

2. The battery charger cradle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a full charge state detection circuit for detecting a full charge state of the battery,

wherein the plate is sized so as to allow a plurality of battery built-in devices to be placed thereon,

wherein, when the full charge state detection circuit detects the full charge state of the battery contained in one of the battery built-in devices being subjected to a charging operation, a position of a non-charged battery built-in device incorporating a battery which is not fully charged is detected, and the movement mechanism is controlled to bring the primary coil closer to the induction coil contained in the non-charged battery built-in device to charge the battery contained in the non-charged battery built-in device.

3. The battery charger cradle according to claim 1, further comprising an AC power source connected to the primary coil, the AC power source having a self-excited oscillation circuit, and the position detection controller detects the position of the induction coil on the basis of an oscillating frequency of the self-excited oscillation circuit to control the movement mechanism.

4. The battery charger cradle according to claim 1, further comprising a pulsed power source for supplying a pulse signal to at least one of the position detection coils, wherein the position detection coils are configured to detect an echo signal output from the induction coil which is excited by the pulse signal.

5. The battery charger cradle according to claim 4, wherein, when the positon detection coils detect a waveform other than a waveform of the echo signal, the discrimination decision circuit stops supplying power to the primary coil.

6. The battery charger cradle according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of position detection coils include a first group of detection coils, each detection coil of the first group of detection coils comprising a loop elongated in a first direction.

7. The battery charger cradle according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of position detection coils further include a second group of detection coils, each detection coil of the second group of detection coils comprising a loop elongated in a second direction which is orthogonal to the first direction.

8. The battery charger cradle according to claim 6, wherein a distance between adjacent position detection coils in the first group of detection coils is set to be smaller than an outer diameter of the induction coil.

9. The battery charger cradle according to claim 7, wherein a distance between adjacent position detection coils in the second group of detection coils is set to be smaller than an outer diameter of the induction coil.

10. The battery charger cradle according to claim 1, wherein the position detection controller further includes a switching circuit for switching each of the position detection coils to connect with the receiver circuit, wherein an input into the receiver circuit is switched one after another to be connected with the plurality of position detection coils.

11. The battery charger cradle according to claim 1, wherein the position detection controller further includes a switching circuit for switching and connecting an output side of the pulsed power source to one of the position detection coils, and wherein the pulsed power source is switched to the one of position detection coils to output the pulse signal.

12. The battery charger cradle according to claim 1, wherein the position detection controller further includes a memory circuit for storing a level of the signal induced to each of the position detection coils with respect to the position of the induction coil, and comparing the determined level of the signal with the level of the signal stored in the memory circuit.

13. The battery charger cradle according to claim 1, wherein the position detection controller further includes a memory circuit for storing a function specifying the position of the induction coil, and calculating the position of the induction coil on the basis of the determined level of the signal using the function.