Non-contact type power supply apparatus and non-contact type power supply method

• US 9,769,869 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2014
• Issued: 09/19/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wit Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electro-Mechanics Co., Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Kang, Chang Soo, Han, Hee Sun, Kim, Ji Hoon, Lim, Hyun Keun
• Primary Examiner(s): Cavallari, Daniel
• Assistant Examiner(s): Pacheco, Rafael
• Application Number:
  US14/536,431
• Publication Number:
  US 20150133056A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,047 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• 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 50/90 involving detection or optimisation of position, e.g. alignment
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/20 Manipulation of established connections

Abstract

A non-contact type power supply apparatus may include a power unit transmitting power to a power receiving apparatus in a non-contact type manner, a communicating unit communicating with the power receiving apparatus, and a controlling unit terminating communications with the power receiving apparatus in the case in which a communications signal level of the power receiving apparatus transmitted to the communicating unit is equal to or less than a reference signal level.

Claims

1. A non-contact type power supply apparatus comprising:

a power unit configured to contactlessly transmit power to one or more power receiving apparatuses;

a communicating unit configured to communicate with the one or more power receiving apparatuses; and

a controlling unit configured to;

terminate communications with the one or more power receiving apparatuses in response to a communications signal level of the one or more power receiving apparatuses transmitted to the communicating unit being equal to or less than a reference signal level,

calculate distances from the one or more power receiving apparatuses to the non-contact type power supply apparatus based on the communication signal level, and

control transmitting the power in an order from a power receiving apparatus estimated as being at a closest distance to a power receiving apparatus estimated as being at a farthest distance.

2. The non-contact type power supply apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controlling unit is configured to stop transmitting the power to the one or more power receiving apparatuses in response to the communications being terminated.

3. The non-contact type power supply apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controlling unit is configured to stop the communications with one or more of the power receiving apparatuses having a communications signal level equal to or less than the reference signal level.

4. The non-contact type power supply apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communications signal level is a level of an advertisement signal transmitted from the one or more power receiving apparatuses in response to a connection request signal of the communicating unit.

5. The non-contact type power supply apparatus of claim 4, wherein the level of the advertisement signal is a received signal strength indication (RSSI) of the advertisement signal.

6. The non-contact type power supply apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power unit is configured to transmit a short beacon to detect a proximity of the one or more power receiving apparatuses.

7. The non-contact type power supply apparatus of claim 1, wherein the power unit is configured to transmit a long beacon to wake up a Bluetooth circuit comprised in each of the one or more power receiving apparatuses.

8. The non-contact type power supply apparatus of claim 1, wherein the communicating unit is configured to perform Bluetooth low energy (BLE) communications with a Bluetooth circuit comprised in a corresponding power receiving apparatus among the one or more power receiving apparatuses.

9. The non-contact type power supply apparatus of claim 1, wherein the controlling unit is configured to repeatedly detect the one or more power receiving apparatuses having the communications signal level which is equal to or less than the reference signal level.

10. The non-contact type power supply apparatus of claim 3, wherein the controlling unit is configured to control power transmission to the power receiving apparatuses in order of high to low communication signal levels.

11. A power supply method of transmitting power in a non-contact type manner, the power supply method comprising:

requesting a connection to one or more power receiving apparatuses;

receiving an advertisement from the one or more power receiving apparatuses in response to the requested connection;

determining a termination of the connection with the one or more power receiving apparatuses by comparing a signal level of the received advertisement and a reference signal level;

terminating the connection with the one or more power receiving apparatuses in response to the signal level of the received advertisement being equal to or less than the reference signal level;

calculating distances from the one or more power receiving apparatuses to the non-contact type power supply apparatus based on the signal level of the received advertisement; and

controlling transmission of the power in an order from a power receiving apparatus estimated as being at a closest distance to a power receiving apparatus estimated as being at a farthest distance.

12. The non-contact type power supply method of claim 11, further comprising transmitting a short beacon to detect proximity of the one or more power receiving apparatuses.

13. The non-contact type power supply method of claim 11, further comprising transmitting a long beacon to wake up a Bluetooth circuit comprised in each of the one or more power receiving apparatuses.

14. The non-contact type power supply method of claim 11, further comprising transmitting power to the connected one or more power receiving apparatus.

15. The non-contact type power supply method of claim 11, further comprising transmitting power in order of high to low signal levels among the power receiving apparatuses having the signal level, which is equal to or greater than the reference signal level, and sending advertisements.

16. The non-contact type power supply method of claim 11, wherein in the determining of the termination of the connection, an advertisement signal is repeatedly received from the power receiving apparatuses and a level of the advertisement signal is compared to the reference signal level.

17. The non-contact type power supply method of claim 11, wherein the signal level of the advertisement is a received signal strength indication (RSSI) of an advertisement signal.