Secondary-side power receiving circuit for contactless power feed equipment

• US 9,349,533 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2012
• Issued: 05/24/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daifuku Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Daifuku Company Limited
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Masaaki
• Primary Examiner(s): BARNIE, REXFORD N
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mourad, Rasem
• Application Number:
  US14/002,396
• Publication Number:
  US 20130334895A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,538 Days
• Field of Search: 307/104, 320/108
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 50/40 using two or more transmitting or receiving devices H02J50/50 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/217 using semiconductor devices only

Abstract

A PWM module is provided to output a driving pulse to a switching device in synchronization with a synchronizing pulse having a frequency twice the frequency of the high-frequency current of a primary-side induction line. The PWM module performs output voltage feedback control such that the output voltage of an output capacitor is set at a reference voltage. The module outputs, to the switching device, the driving pulse having a half width of the pulse width of a driving pulse that can be outputted, at the start of power supply to the primary-side induction line. Moreover, the module forcibly performs the output voltage feedback control if an output voltage of the output capacitor does not increase to the reference voltage within a reference time.

Claims

1. A secondary-side power receiving circuit for contactless power feed equipment, the secondary-side power receiving circuit being provided in each of devices or apparatuses so as to receive power in a contactless manner from a primary-side induction line that receives a high-frequency current from a power supply device,

the secondary-side power receiving circuit comprising:

a pickup coil opposed to the primary-side induction line, the pickup coil receiving an induced electromotive force from the primary-side induction line;

a resonant capacitor connected in parallel with the pickup coil, the resonant capacitor forming a resonant circuit that resonates at a frequency of the high-frequency current with the pickup coil;

a full-wave rectifying circuit connected in parallel with the resonant capacitor of the resonant circuit;

a switch and an output capacitor connected in parallel between output terminals of the full-wave rectifying circuit, the output capacitor feeding power to a load having varying power consumption; and

a controller that switches a closed condition and an opened condition of the switch,

the controller comprising;

a pulse generating circuit that outputs a synchronizing pulse having a frequency multiple times higher than the frequency of the high-frequency current in synchronization with a full-wave voltage signal outputted from one of the output terminals of the full-wave rectifying circuit; and

a pulse width control circuit that outputs a driving pulse to the switch and performs output voltage feedback control such that an output voltage of the output capacitor is set at a preset reference voltage by closing the switch at turn-on of the driving pulse or opening the switch at turn-off of the driving pulse,

wherein the pulse width control circuit determines power receivable by each of the devices or apparatuses at start of power supply to the primary-side induction line by dividing output rated power of the power supply device by a number of devices or apparatuses, the pulse width control circuit determines a pulse width of the driving pulse capable of suppressing power within the receivable power by a pulse width of a driving pulse that can be outputted, the pulse width control circuit performs switching control at the start of power supply to the primary-side induction line such that the driving pulse capable of suppressing the power is outputted to the switch in synchronization with the synchronizing pulse inputted from the pulse generating circuit, and then the pulse width control circuit performs the output voltage feedback control when the output voltage of the output capacitor reaches the preset reference voltage.

2. The secondary-side power receiving circuit for the contactless power feed equipment according to claim 1, wherein the pulse width control circuit performs the switching control and then forcibly performs the output voltage feedback control after a predetermined time during which the output voltage of the output capacitor rises to the reference voltage.

3. The secondary-side power receiving circuit for the contactless power feed equipment according to claim 1, wherein during the output voltage feedback control, the pulse width control circuit performs the switching control again when the output voltage of the output capacitor falls to or below a set voltage lower than the reference voltage.

4. The secondary-side power receiving circuit for the contactless power feed equipment according to claim 2, wherein during the output voltage feedback control, the pulse width control circuit performs the switching control again when the output voltage of the output capacitor falls to or below a set voltage lower than the reference voltage.