Power supply system, power transmission device, power receiving device, method for controlling power transmission device, method for controlling power receiving device, and program

• US 9,692,249 B2
• Filed: 01/28/2014
• Issued: 06/27/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ito, Takehiro, Kikugawa, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): Barnie, Rexford
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dhillon, Jagdeep
• Application Number:
  US14/165,962
• Publication Number:
  US 20140210281A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,246 Days
• Field of Search: 307104, 307 11, 307 91, 307 101, 307149, 307 102, 307 66, 307 64, 307 80, 320108, 320109, 320107, 455 661, 455 411, 455 412, 324318, 700296
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• 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

Abstract

A power supply system wirelessly transmits power from a power transmission device to a power receiving device, in which the power transmission device includes a calculation unit configured to calculate a distance from the power transmission device to the power receiving device, a storage unit configured to store a preset relationship between a power transmission efficiency and a distance from the power transmission device to the power receiving device, and a wireless transmission unit configured to wirelessly transmit the distance calculated by the calculation unit and the relationship stored in the storage unit to the power receiving device, and the power receiving device includes a receiving unit configured to wirelessly receive the distance and the relationship from the power transmission device and a notification unit configured to notify a user of the distance and the relationship received by the receiving unit.

Claims

1. A power transmission device for wirelessly supplying power to a power receiving device located in a power supply area, the power transmission device comprising:

a first determining unit configured to determine whether a power receiving device exists in the power supply area;

a first transmitting unit configured to, in a case where the first determining unit determines that the power receiving device does not exist in the power supply area, transmit, to the power receiving device, a first notification prompting a user to move the power receiving device into the power supply area;

a second determining unit configured to determine, in a case where the first determining unit determines that the power receiving device exists in the power supply area, whether a second notification prompting a user to further move the power receiving device needs to be transmitted to the power receiving device; and

a second transmitting unit configured to transmit the second notification to the power receiving device in a case where the second determining unit determines that the second notification needs to be transmitted to the power receiving device,

wherein, in a case where the second determining unit determines that the second notification does not need to be transmitted to the power receiving device, the second transmitting unit does not transmit the second notification to the power receiving device.

4. The power transmission device according to claim 1, further comprising an identification unit configured to identify a distance between the power transmission device and the power receiving device,

wherein, based on the identified distance, the second determining unit determines whether the second notification needs to be transmitted to the power receiving device.

5. The power transmission device according to claim 4,

wherein the power supply area is divided into a plurality of areas,

wherein, in a case where the identified distance indicates that the power receiving device exists outside of an area having the highest transmission efficiency, among the plurality of areas, the second determining unit determines that the second notification needs to be transmitted to the power receiving device, and

wherein, in a case where the identified distance indicates that the power receiving device exists in the area having the highest transmission efficiency, the second determining unit determines that the second notification does not need to be transmitted to the power receiving device.

6. The power transmission device according to claim 5,

wherein the first notification includes information about at least a distance from the power receiving device to the power supply area, and

wherein the second notification includes information about at least a distance from the power receiving device to the area having the highest transmission efficiency.

7. The power transmission device according to claim 1,

wherein the power supply area is divided into a plurality of areas,

wherein, in a case where the power receiving device exists outside of an area having the highest transmission efficiency, among the plurality of areas, the second determining unit determines that the second notification needs to be transmitted to the power receiving device, and

wherein, in a case where the power receiving device exists in the area having the highest transmission efficiency, the second determining unit determines that the second notification does not need to be transmitted to the power receiving device.

8. The power transmission device according to claim 7,

wherein the first notification includes information about at least a distance from the power receiving device to the power supply area, and

wherein the second notification includes information about at least a distance from the power receiving device to the area having the highest transmission efficiency.

2. A method for controlling a power transmission device for wirelessly supplying power to a power receiving device located in a power supply area, the method comprising:

determining first whether a power receiving device exists in the power supply area;

in a case where the first determining determines that the power receiving device does not exist in the power supply area, transmitting, to the power receiving device, a first notification prompting a user to move the power receiving device into the power supply area;

determining second, in a case where the first determining determines that the power receiving device exists in the power supply area, whether a second notification prompting a user to further move the power receiving device needs to be transmitted to the power receiving device; and

transmitting the second notification to the power receiving device in a case where the second determining determines that the second notification needs to be transmitted to the power receiving device,

wherein, in a case where the second determining determines that the second notification does not need to be transmitted to the power receiving device, the transmitting does not transmit the second notification to the power receiving device.

3. A computer-readable storage medium storing a program that causes a computer to perform a process for a power transmission device for wirelessly supplying power to a power receiving device located in a power supply area, the process comprising:

determining first whether a power receiving device exists in the power supply area;

in a case where the first determining determines that the power receiving device does not exist in the power supply area, transmitting, to the power receiving device, a first notification prompting a user to move the power receiving device into the power supply area;

determining second, in a case where the first determining determines that the power receiving device exists in the power supply area, whether a second notification prompting a user to further move the power receiving device needs to be transmitted to the power receiving device; and

transmitting the second notification to the power receiving device in a case where the second determining determines that the second notification needs to be transmitted to the power receiving device,

wherein, in a case where the second determining determines that the second notification does not need to be transmitted to the power receiving device, the transmitting does not transmit the second notification to the power receiving device.