Charging apparatus

• US 9,502,922 B2
• Filed: 02/13/2013
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/29/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Automotive Systems Company of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd. (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hasegawa, Yu, Kanaya, Masanobu, Iijima, Yukio, Yamada, Kazunori
• Primary Examiner(s): Do, Thuan
• Application Number:
  US14/005,881
• Publication Number:
  US 20140070765A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,378 Days
• Field of Search: 320/108
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 10/46 Accumulators structurally combined with charging apparatus circuits for charging H02J7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 2220/20 Batteries in motive systems, e.g. vehicle, ship, plane
• 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 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0042 characterised by the mechanical construction
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/10 Energy storage using batteries

Abstract

A charging apparatus is provided that avoids a reduction in the strength of radio waves or a magnetic field used by a charging target device having a wireless communication function and reduces an influence on the radio waves or magnetic field. In this apparatus, position detection section (201) detects a position of power reception coil (251) of charging target device (150) placed on charging table (101). Power transmission coil (208) is made close to power reception coil (251) and transmits electric power. Coil moving mechanism (207) brings power transmission coil (208) close to the position of power reception coil (251) that is detected by position detection section (201).

Claims

1. A charging apparatus that transmits electrical power to a charging target device by electromagnetic induction to charge a secondary battery of the charging target device, the charging apparatus comprising:

a power transmission coil;

a position detection section that detects a position of a power reception coil of the charging target device placed on the charging apparatus; and

a resonant circuit that prevents attenuation of radio waves or a magnetic field generated around the charging apparatus, and wherein;

the position detection section comprises coils disposed separately from the power transmission coil in a plurality of rows;

the resonant circuit attenuates radio waves or a magnetic field of a predetermined frequency in which the charging target device performs communications with external devices other than the charging apparatus; and

the resonant circuit is provided to the coils of the position detection section.

2. The charging apparatus according to claim 1,

wherein

the resonant circuit is an LC parallel resonant circuit provided to the plurality of rows of coils, and

a resonance frequency of the LC parallel resonant circuit is a frequency that is included in a frequency band of radio waves used by the charging target device for wireless communication.

3. The charging apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising

a resonance frequency variable control circuit that changes a resonance frequency of the LC parallel resonant circuit to a predetermined frequency, wherein

the resonance frequency variable control circuit changes the predetermined frequency to a frequency included in a frequency band of radio waves used by the charging target device for wireless communication.

4. The charging apparatus according to claim 3, wherein

the position detection section further comprises a resonance frequency switching circuit that determines the predetermined frequency, and

the resonance frequency variable control circuit controls the resonance frequency of the LC parallel resonant circuit in accordance with an instruction from the resonance frequency switching circuit.

5. The charging apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the resonance frequency switching circuit determines the predetermined frequency in response to switching of an input switch performed by manual operation.

6. The charging apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising:

a near field communication antenna for near field communications between the charging target device and an external device by electromagnetic induction, wherein

the near field communication antenna is any one of the plurality of coils of the position detection section.

7. The charging apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising:

a near field communication control section that is to be connected to the near field communication antenna and that executes near field communication between the charging target device and the external device; and

a switching section that switches operation between the position detection section and the near field communication control section.

8. The charging apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the resonance frequency switching circuit includes a function to communicate with the charging target device and determines the predetermined frequency by identifying an ID assigned to each frequency used by the charging target device for wireless communication.

9. The charging apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a near field communication antenna for near field communications between the charging target device and an external device by electromagnetic induction, wherein

the near field communication antenna is any one of the plurality of coils of the position detection section.

10. The charging apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

a near field communication control section that is to be connected to the near field communication antenna and that executes near field communication between the charging target device and the external device; and

a switching section that switches operation between the position detection section and the near field communication control section.

11. The charging apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising:

a charging table in which the coils of the position detection section are disposed on an inner surface side of the charging table, and on which the charging target device is to be placed, wherein

a length in a short-side direction of the charging table is greater than a length in a short-side direction of the charging target device and is less than a sum of the length in the short-side direction of the charging target device and an interval of the near field communication antenna.

12. The charging apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the coils of the position detection section are disposed at predetermined intervals in a plurality of rows in a longitudinal direction and a transverse direction of the charging table, and the coil of the position detection section that is the near field communication antenna is disposed at a center in the short-side direction among the plurality of rows of coils of the position detection section.