Wireless energy receiving apparatus and method, and wireless energy transmitting apparatus

• US 9,515,704 B2
• Filed: 01/23/2013
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Yoon, Seung Keun, Kwon, Ui Kun, Kim, Sang Joon
• Primary Examiner(s): Amrany, Adi
• Application Number:
  US13/747,681
• Publication Number:
  US 20130270920A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,413 Days
• Field of Search: 307/104
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/00 Near-field transmission systems, e.g. inductive or capacitive transmission systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/266 One coil at each side, e.g. with primary and secondary coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

An apparatus and a method for wirelessly receiving and transmitting energy are provided. A wireless energy receiving apparatus in a terminal configured to wirelessly receive energy through mutual resonance between a resonator of an energy supply apparatus configured to supply the energy and a resonator of the terminal, includes an energy measuring unit configured to measure an amount of energy stored in the terminal. The wireless energy receiving apparatus further includes a control unit configured to change a state of the resonator of the terminal from a non-resonant state to a resonant state when the measured amount of energy is less than or equal to a predetermined threshold.

Claims

1. A wireless energy receiving apparatus in a terminal configured to wirelessly receive energy through mutual resonance between a resonator of an energy supply apparatus configured to supply the energy and a resonator of the terminal, the wireless energy receiving apparatus comprising:

an energy measuring unit configured to measure an amount of energy stored in the terminal; and

a control unit configured to change a state of the resonator of the terminal from a non- resonant state to a resonant state by comparing the measured amount of energy with a predetermined threshold,

wherein the predetermined threshold is determined based on a frequency that the terminal comes into contact with the energy supply apparatus.

2. The wireless energy receiving apparatus of claim 1, wherein the energy measuring unit is further configured to:

measure, in real time, the amount of energy stored in the terminal.

3. The wireless energy receiving apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit comprises:

a threshold calculating unit configured to calculate the predetermined threshold based on the frequency that the terminal comes into contact with the energy supply apparatus, and a ratio of the operation time of the terminal to a charging time required to charge the terminal with the energy supplied from the energy supply apparatus.

4. The wireless energy receiving apparatus of claim 3, wherein the control unit comprises:

a frequency calculating unit configured to

calculate a number of times charging is started by the energy supply apparatus for a predetermined period of time, and

calculate the frequency that the terminal comes into contact with the energy supply apparatus based on the calculated number of times.

5. The wireless energy receiving apparatus of claim 3, wherein the control unit comprises:

a frequency calculating unit configured to

measure a time at which charging of the terminal is started by the energy supply apparatus, and

calculate an average value of the frequency that the terminal comes into contact with the energy supply apparatus based on the measured time.

6. The wireless energy receiving apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit comprises:

a threshold calculating unit configured to calculate the predetermined threshold to be an energy value corresponding to a maximum ratio of the operation time of the terminal to a first time period from a time at which charging of the terminal is completed once to a time at which next charging of the terminal is completed.

7. The wireless energy receiving apparatus of claim 6, wherein the first time period comprises the operation time of the terminal, or a charging time required to charge the terminal with the energy supplied from the energy supply apparatus, or a charging waiting time required when the terminal waits for the energy supply apparatus to approach the terminal, or any combination thereof.

8. The wireless energy receiving apparatus of claim 7, wherein the charging time comprises a charging preparation time required to synchronize a switch configured to change the state of the resonator of the terminal with an operation switch of the resonator of the energy supply apparatus, or an actual charging time in which the terminal is charged by wirelessly receiving the energy from the energy supply apparatus, or a charging finish time required by the energy supply apparatus to verify the non-resonant state of the resonator of the terminal, or any combination thereof.

9. The wireless energy receiving apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a detecting unit configured to detect presence of the energy supply apparatus based on a change in a waveform of energy stored in the resonator of the terminal.

10. The wireless energy receiving apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit is further configured to:

additionally connect an impedance to the resonator of the terminal, to change the state of the resonator of the terminal from the resonant state to the non-resonant state to charge a battery of the terminal with the wirelessly received energy.

11. The wireless energy receiving apparatus of claim 1, wherein the control unit comprises:

a threshold calculating unit configured to calculate the predetermined threshold to be a ratio of the energy stored in the terminal to a charging capacity of the terminal.

12. A wireless energy receiving apparatus in a terminal configured to wirelessly receive energy through mutual resonance between a resonator of an energy supply apparatus configured to supply the energy and a resonator of the terminal, the wireless energy receiving apparatus comprising:

an energy measuring unit configured to measure an amount of energy stored in the terminal;

a threshold calculating unit configured to calculate a predetermined threshold based on a frequency that the terminal comes into contact with the energy supply apparatus, a charging capacity of the terminal, and an energy consumption rate of the terminal;

a control unit configured to change a state of the resonator of the terminal from a non- resonant state to a resonant state based on the measured amount of energy and the predetermined threshold.

13. A wireless energy transmitting apparatus in a terminal configured to wirelessly transmit energy through mutual resonance between a resonator of the terminal and a resonator of an energy receiving apparatus configured to receive the energy, the wireless energy transmitting apparatus comprising:

a detecting unit configured to detect the energy receiving apparatus based on a change in a waveform of energy stored in the terminal; and

a control unit configured to calculate a predetermined threshold based on a frequency that the terminal comes into contact with the detected energy receiving apparatus,

wherein a state of the resonator of the detected energy receiving apparatus is changed from a non-resonant state to a resonant state by comparing an amount of energy stored in the detected energy receiving apparatus with the predetermined threshold.

14. The wireless energy transmitting apparatus of claim 13, wherein the control unit comprises:

a frequency calculating unit configured to

calculate a number of times charging of the detected energy receiving apparatus is started by the terminal for a predetermined period of time, and

calculate the frequency based on the calculated number of times.

15. The wireless energy transmitting apparatus of claim 13, further comprising:

a transmitting unit configured to transmit the predetermined threshold to the detected energy receiving apparatus.

16. A wireless energy receiving method in a terminal configured to wirelessly receive energy through mutual resonance between a resonator of an energy supply apparatus configured to supply the energy and a resonator of the terminal, the wireless energy receiving method comprising:

measuring an amount of energy stored in the terminal; and

changing a state of the resonator of the terminal from a non-resonant state to a resonant state by comparing the measured amount of energy with a predetermined threshold,

wherein the predetermined threshold is determined based on a frequency that the terminal comes into contact with the energy supply apparatus.

17. The wireless energy receiving method of claim 16, further comprising:

calculating the predetermined threshold based on the frequency that the terminal comes into contact with the energy supply apparatus, and a ratio of the operation time of the terminal to a charging time required to charge the terminal with the energy supplied from the energy supply apparatus.

18. The wireless energy receiving method of claim 17, further comprising:

calculating a number of times charging is started by the energy supply apparatus for a predetermined period of time; and

calculating the frequency that the terminal comes into contact with the energy supply apparatus based on the calculated number of times.

19. A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium storing a program comprising instructions to cause a computer to perform the wireless energy receiving method of claim 16.

20. A wireless energy receiving method in a terminal configured to wirelessly receive energy through mutual resonance between a resonator of an energy supply apparatus configured to supply the energy and a resonator of the terminal, the wireless energy receiving method comprising:

measuring an amount of energy stored in the terminal;

calculating a predetermined threshold based on a frequency that the terminal comes into contact with the energy supply apparatus, a charging capacity of the terminal, and an energy consumption rate of the terminal; and

changing a state of the resonator of the terminal from a non-resonant state to a resonant state based on the measured amount of energy and the predetermined threshold.