Wireless power receiver and method of managing power thereof

• US 9,531,441 B2
• Filed: 02/14/2013
• Issued: 12/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Innotek Company Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Innotek Company Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Bae, Su Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Amrany, Adi
• Application Number:
  US13/767,549
• Publication Number:
  US 20130214611A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,412 Days
• Field of Search: 307/104
• 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 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00304 Overcurrent protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00308 Overvoltage protection
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 1/14 Arrangements for reducing ripples from dc input or output
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/06 using discharge tubes without control electrode or semiconductor devices without control electrode
• CPC Class Codes: H02M 7/46 using discharge tubes without control electrode or semiconductor devices without control electrode
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/00 Near-field transmission systems, e.g. inductive or capacitive transmission systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/263 Multiple coils at either side
• 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

Disclosed are a wireless power receiver and a method of managing the same. The wireless power receiver to wirelessly receive power from a wireless power transmitter and transmit the power to a load includes a receiving unit to receive AC power from the wireless power transmitter that receives power from a power supply device, a rectifying unit to rectify the received AC power to DC power, and a power managing unit to manage the power transmitted to the load based on the rectified DC power.

Claims

1. A wireless power receiver to wirelessly receive power from a wireless power transmitter which receives power from a power supply device and transfers the power to a load, the wireless power receiver comprising:

a receiving unit including a reception resonant coil to receive AC power from the wireless power transmitter through resonance between the reception resonant coil and a transmission resonant coil of the wireless power transmitter which are resonance-coupled with each other and operate at a resonant frequency band;

a rectifying unit to rectify the received AC power to DC power;

a switch to maintain or shut off the power transferred to the load; and

a controller to;

detect a first rectified DC power, which is rectified from the received AC power, that is less than a predetermined threshold to prevent an instant overvoltage from being transferred to the load,

transmit, via a modulation unit through out-of-band communication at a specific frequency band other than the resonant frequency band, a signal to increase the AC power to be received from the wireless power transmitter and control the switch to allow the detected first rectified DC power to be transferred to the load in response to the detected first rectified DC power being less than the predetermined threshold,

detect a second rectified DC power, which is rectified from the received AC power, that is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold to prevent the instant overvoltage from being transferred to the load, and

transmit, via the modulation unit, a signal to decrease the AC power to be received from the wireless power transmitter and control the switch to prevent the detected second rectified DC power from being transferred to the load in response to the detected second rectified DC power being equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold,

wherein the predetermined threshold is different than a charge quantity of the load.

2. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein the controller shorts the switch such that the power transferred to the load is maintained if the detected first rectified DC power is less than the predetermined threshold and is also less than a quantity of power required by the load.

3. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein the controller opens the switch such that the power is shut off if the detected second rectified DC power is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold.

4. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein the controller includes a comparator circuit including an amplifier and a plurality of resistors, and

wherein the comparator circuit determines if the detected first and second rectified DC power is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold to control an operation of the switch.

5. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein the receiving unit includes a reception inductance coil to receive the AC power from the wireless power transmitter using an electromagnetic induction.

6. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein the reception resonant coil uses a resonance and a reception induction coil to receive the power, which is received in the reception resonant coil, using an electromagnetic induction.

7. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein the rectifying unit includes:

a rectifier to rectify the received AC power to the DC power; and

a smoothing circuit to remove a ripple component from the rectified DC power, and

wherein the rectifier includes a bridge diode.

8. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein the controller controls the switch to prevent the rectified DC power from being transferred to the load even though the load is less than fully charged and the load is still receiving power from the transmitter.

9. The wireless power receiver of claim 1, wherein the modulation unit is further configured to transmit the signal directly to the transmitter.

10. A method of managing power in a wireless power receiver to wirelessly receive power from a wireless power transmitter which receives power from a power supply device and transfers the power to a load, the method comprising:

receiving AC power from the wireless power transmitter through resonance between the wireless power receiver and the wireless power transmitter which are resonance-coupled with each other and operate at a resonant frequency band;

rectifying the AC power to DC power via a rectifying unit; and

managing power transmitted to the load based on the rectified DC power,

wherein the managing power includes;

detecting, via a controller, a first rectified DC power, which is rectified from the received AC power, that is less than a predetermined threshold to prevent an instant overvoltage from being transferred to the load;

transmitting, via a modulation unit through out-of-band communication at a specific frequency band other than the resonant frequency band, a signal to increase the AC power to be received from the wireless power transmitter and controlling a switch to allow the detected first rectified DC power to be transferred to the load in response to the detected first rectified DC power being less than the predetermined threshold;

detecting, via the controller, a second rectified DC power, which is rectified from the received AC power, that is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold to prevent the instant overvoltage from being transferred to the load; and

transmitting, via the modulation unit, a signal to decrease the AC power to be received from the wireless power transmitter and controlling the switch to prevent the detected second rectified DC power from being transferred to the load in response to the detected second rectified DC power being equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold,

wherein the predetermined threshold is different than a charge quantity of the load.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the managing of the power transmitted to the load includes maintaining the power transmitted to the load by shorting the switch if the detected first rectified DC power is less than the predetermined threshold and is also less than a quantity of power required by the load.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the managing of the power transmitted to the load includes shutting off the power through the opening of the switch if the detected second rectified DC power is equal to or greater than the predetermined threshold.