Contactless power supply system

• US 9,203,244 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2011
• Issued: 12/01/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Abe, Hideaki
• Primary Examiner(s): CAVALLARI, DANIEL J
• Application Number:
  US13/637,062
• Publication Number:
  US 20130015705A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,721 Days
• 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 50/402 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 50/80 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 7/00045 Authentication, i.e. circuits for checking compatibility between one component, e.g. a battery or a battery charger, and another component, e.g. a power source

Abstract

A contactless power supply system includes a device and a power supply apparatus that supplies power contactlessly to the device. The power supply apparatus includes a plurality of primary coils provided in a planar or linear manner, a plurality of power supply modules respectively corresponding to the plurality of primary coils, each of the power supply modules configured to receive an excitation request signal for requesting excitation of the primary coil and excite the primary coil based on the excitation request signal, and a system control section configured to integratedly control the plurality of power supply modules. The device includes a secondary coil and a transmitter circuit that sends the excitation request signal to the power supply apparatus. When the device is mounted on the power supply apparatus, the contactless power supply system excites primary coils corresponding to one or more power supply modules, generates secondary power in the secondary coil of the device by electromagnetic induction, and supplies the secondary power to a load of the device. When the excitation request signal from the device mounted on the power supply apparatus is received at the one or more power supply modules, the system control section sends an enable signal for exciting the primary coils to the one or more power supply modules that received the excitation request signal.

Claims

1. A contactless power supply system comprising:

a device; and

a power supply apparatus that supplies power contactlessly to the device,

wherein the power supply apparatus includes;

a plurality of primary coils provided in a planar or linear manner;

a plurality of power supply modules respectively corresponding to the plurality of primary coils, each of the power supply modules configured to receive an excitation request signal for requesting excitation of the primary coil and excite the primary coil based on the excitation request signal; and

a system control section configured to integratedly control the plurality of power supply modules,

the device includes;

a secondary coil; and

a transmitter circuit that sends the excitation request signal to the power supply apparatus,

when the device is mounted on the power supply apparatus, the contactless power supply system excites primary coils corresponding to one or more power supply modules, generates secondary power in the secondary coil of the device by electromagnetic induction, and supplies the secondary power to a load of the device, and

when the excitation request signal from the device mounted on the power supply apparatus is received at the one or more power supply modules, the system control section sends an enable signal for exciting the primary coils to the one or more power supply modules that received the excitation request signal.

2. The contactless power supply system according to claim 1, wherein

each of the plurality of power supply modules includes:

a high frequency inverter circuit that excites the primary coil;

a receiver circuit that receives the excitation request signal from the device and identifies the excitation request signal; and

an excitation control circuit that generates a drive control signal for driving the high frequency inverter circuit when the receiver circuit receives the excitation request signal.

3. The contactless power supply system according to claim 1, wherein

each of the plurality of power supply modules includes a signal receiver antenna that receives the excitation request signal from the device,

the device includes a transceiver antenna connected to the transmitter circuit, and sends the excitation request signal,

respective ones of the plurality of signal receiver antennas are arranged along the corresponding primary coils,

the transceiver antenna is arranged along the secondary coil, and

the secondary coil of the device corresponds to one or more primary coils directly below the secondary coil.

4. The contactless power supply system according to claim 2, wherein

when the receiver circuit receives the excitation request signal, each of the plurality of excitation control circuits sends the drive control signal to the high frequency inverter circuit in response to the enable signal from the system control section, after having sent a signal, which indicates that the excitation request signal has been received, to the system control section.

5. The contactless power supply system according to claim 2, wherein

each of the plurality of high frequency inverter circuits includes:

an oscillator circuit that excites the primary coil; and

a synchronizing signal generator circuit that drives the oscillator circuit in response to the drive control signal from the excitation control circuit.

6. The contactless power supply system according to claim 2, wherein

the receiver circuit of each of the plurality of power supply modules includes:

an excitation request receiver circuit that receives the excitation request signal from the transmitter circuit of the device; and

a device identification receiver circuit that receives a device identification signal from the transmitter circuit of the device,

the transmitter circuit of the device generates the excitation request signal and the device identification signal that identifies its device, and sends the device identification signal and the excitation request signal, and

the system control section sends the enable signal to one or more excitation control circuits when the receiver circuit receives the excitation request signal and the device identification signal, and stops sending the enable signal to the one or more excitation control circuits when one of the excitation request signal and the device identification signal is eliminated.

7. The contactless power supply system according to claim 2, wherein

each of the plurality of power supply modules includes:

a metal detection sensor provided in the vicinity of the primary coil, the metal detection sensor configured to detect metal and generate a metal detection signal; and

a metal detection circuit that determines presence/absence of the metal by receiving the metal detection signal from the metal detection sensor, and

each of the plurality of metal detection circuits sends the metal detection signal to the corresponding excitation control circuit when the metal detection signal is received from the corresponding metal detection sensor, so as to eliminate the drive control signal.

8. The contactless power supply system according to claim 1 wherein

each of the plurality of power supply modules causes the primary coil to be in standby by intermittently exciting the primary coil during a standby state before the device is mounted.

9. The contactless power supply system according to claim 8, wherein

each of the plurality of power supply modules includes:

an object detection sensor provided in the vicinity of the corresponding primary coil, the object detection sensor configured to detect an object and generate an object detection signal; and

an object detection circuit configured to receive the object detection signal from the corresponding object detection sensor, and determine presence/absence of the object based on the object detection signal, and

each of the plurality of object detection circuits causes the primary coil to be in standby by intermittently exciting the corresponding primary coil when the object detection signal is received from the corresponding object detection sensor.

10. The contactless power supply system according to claim 9, wherein

each of the plurality of object detection sensors is configured to emit an electromagnetic wave including light, and detect the object by presence/absence of a reflected wave of the emitted electromagnetic wave.

11. The contactless power supply system according to claim 8, wherein

the plurality of primary coils provided in the power supply apparatus is divided into a plurality of sets, is intermittently excited orderly in units of the divided sets, and an excitation pattern indicating the order of the sets to be intermittently excited is made to differ each time when a period of time elapses.

12. The contactless power supply system according to claim 1 wherein

in the event of starting excitation of a corresponding primary coil for supplying power, each of the plurality of power supply modules stands by setting a predetermined period of excitation stop time for each period of time.

13. The contactless power supply system according to claim 5 wherein

each of the plurality of high frequency inverter circuits includes first and second power transistors, and first and second AND circuits,

control terminals of the first and second power transistors are respectively connected to output terminals of the first and second AND circuits,

complementary first and second excitation synchronizing signals for causing the first and second power transistors to turn on and off alternately are respectively received at first input terminals of the first and second AND circuits, and

inverter control signals that determine whether respective one of the first and second excitation synchronizing signals is valid or invalid are respectively received at second input terminals of the first and second AND circuits.

14. The contactless power supply system according to claim 13, wherein

output terminals of first and second switching circuits are respectively connected to the first input terminals of the first and second AND circuits,

complementary low frequency first and second excitation synchronizing signals for causing the first and second power transistors to turn on and off alternately at a low frequency are respectively received at first input terminals of the first and second switching circuits,

complementary high frequency first and second excitation synchronizing signals for causing the first and second power transistors to turn on and off alternately at a high frequency are respectively received at second input terminals of the first and second switching circuits, and

the first and second switching circuits switch the first and second excitation synchronizing signals to be sent to the first and second AND circuits to one of the low frequency and the high frequency based on switching information from the device.

15. The contactless power supply system according to claim 5 wherein

the high frequency inverter circuit of each of the plurality of power supply modules includes first and second power transistors, and third and fourth switching circuits,

control terminals of the first and second power transistors are respectively connected to output terminals of the third and fourth switching circuits,

complementary intermittent first and second excitation synchronizing signals for causing the pair of first and second power transistors to turn on and off alternately in an intermittent manner are respectively received at first input terminals of the third and fourth switching circuits,

complementary continuous first and second excitation synchronizing signals for causing the pair of first and second power transistors to turn on and off alternately in a continuous manner are respectively received at second input terminals of the third and fourth switching circuits, and

the third and fourth switching circuits switch the first and second excitation synchronizing signals to be sent to the control terminals of the first and second power transistor to one of the intermittent manner and the continuous manner based on presence/absence of mounting of the device.

16. The contactless power supply system according to claim 15, wherein

the transmitter circuit of the device sends an excitation request modulated signal that determines an excitation cycle for its secondary coil L2 to be excited for power supply, the excitation request modulated signal being obtained by performing amplitude modulation on the excitation request signal,

each of the excitation request receiver circuits of the plurality of power supply modules performs waveform shaping on an excitation modulation request signal to convert to a high level logic signal during a period when an amplitude value of the excitation modulation request signal is large by receiving the excitation modulation request signal from the device, and detect and demodulate the excitation modulation request signal,

each of the excitation request receiver circuits of the plurality of power supply modules performs waveform shaping on the excitation modulation request signal to convert to a low level logic signal during a period when the amplitude value of the excitation modulation request signal is small, and

the high frequency inverter circuit of each of the plurality of power supply modules generates the continuous first and second excitation synchronizing signals based on the logic signal.

17. The contactless power supply system according to claim 13, wherein

the excitation request signal from the device is a device-side excitation request modulated signal generated by performing amplitude modulation of a voltage waveform or a current waveform generated at the secondary coil by this excitation request signal, the device-side excitation request modulated signal configured to be received at the primary coil,

an excitation request receiver circuit of the power supply module performs, by receiving the device-side excitation request modulated signal received at the primary coil, and detecting and demodulating the device-side excitation request modulated signal:

waveform shaping on the device-side excitation request modulated signal to convert to a high level logic signal during a period when an amplitude value of the device-side excitation request modulated signal is large; and

waveform shaping on the device-side excitation request modulated signal to convert to a low level logic signal during a period when the amplitude value of the device-side excitation request modulated signal is small, and

the inverter control signal having a same logic value as the logic value of the logic signal is sent to second input terminals of first and second AND circuits of the high frequency inverter circuit.

18. The contactless power supply system according to claim 1, wherein

each of the plurality of power supply modules includes a power supply-side transceiver circuit that sends and receives various signals to and from the device via a power supply-side transceiver antenna, and supplies microelectric power to a device-side transceiver antenna of the device, and

the device further includes a device side transceiver circuit that sends and receives the various signals to and from the one or more power supply modules, and receives the microelectric power generated at the device-side transceiver antenna by excitation of the power supply-side transceiver antenna by the power supply-side transceiver circuit.

19. The contactless power supply system according to claim 1, wherein

the excitation request signal is modulated to a frequency different from an excitation frequency of the primary coils.

20. The contactless power supply system according to claim 1, wherein

the plurality of power supply modules excites the plurality of primary coils at the same phase upon driving the plurality of primary coil to be excited.

21. The contactless power supply system according to claim 1, wherein

a single power supply system is configured by connecting the power supply apparatuses.

22. The contactless power supply system according to claim 1, wherein

the power supply apparatus is configured to be detachably arranged at least at one of a floor, a wall, and a ceiling, and is capable of having its arranged position changed.

23. The contactless power supply system according to claim 22, wherein

the floor, the wall, or the ceiling where the power supply apparatus is arranged includes a wood frame with which a user can freely arrange the power supply apparatus, and

one or a plurality of the power supply apparatuses may be arranged within the wood frame.

24. The contactless power supply system according to claim 22, wherein

the power supply apparatus is arranged in a skirting board provided on the floor, the wall, or the ceiling.

25. The contactless power supply system according to claim 24, wherein

the skirting board has a duct-shape, and

one or more devices are capable of freely sliding on the skirting board.

26. The contactless power supply system according to claim 1, wherein

the device includes a capacitor connected with the secondary coil in parallel or in series, and

the secondary coil and the capacitor resonate at a driving frequency of the power supply module.

27. The contactless power supply system according to claim 1, further comprising:

one or more relays arranged between the power supply apparatus and the device,

wherein the relay includes a capacitor and an intermediate coil that are connected in parallel to each other, and

the capacitor and the intermediate coil are set to resonate at a driving frequency of the power supply module.