KR100792310B1 - Contact-less charger systems of being able to control charging limit by feedback - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a second charging unit including a first charging unit including a primary coil and a secondary coil coupled by inductive coupling with the primary coil, and a battery provided with a charging voltage from the second charging unit. A contactless charging system is provided. The second charging unit includes an RF module for transmitting battery state information to the first charging unit by using a radio. The first charging unit may further include a temperature sensor configured to sense a temperature of a peripheral portion of the primary coil; An RF module for receiving battery status information from the RF module of the second charging unit; Switching means for turning on / off the power supplied to the primary coil; Voltage adjusting means for converting a commercial AC voltage into an AC voltage suitable for applying to the primary coil; Determining whether the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor exceeds a set threshold temperature, and controlling the switching means to cut off the power supplied to the primary coil when the temperature exceeds the threshold temperature; And control means for controlling the voltage adjusting means to generate a charging voltage optimized for a battery to be charged based on the battery state information received by the primary RF module.

Solid State Charging, Temperature Sensors, RF Modules

Description

Contact-less charger systems of being able to control charging limit by feedback}

The following drawings, which are attached to this specification, illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and together with the detailed description of the present invention, serve to further understand the technical spirit of the present invention. It should not be construed as limited to.

1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a wireless charging system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

<Description of Major Reference Marks in Drawing>

100: first charging unit 200: second charging unit

110: power supply 120: switching controller

130: primary coil 210: secondary coil

230: battery

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a charging device for a portable electronic device, and more particularly, to a contactless charging system that achieves an optimal state of charge based on battery status information and temperature information of a charging device.

Portable electronic devices such as mobile communication terminals and PDAs are equipped with rechargeable secondary batteries (batteries). In order to charge a secondary battery (battery), a separate charging device for providing electrical energy to a battery of a portable electronic device using a commercial power source for home is needed. Typically, a separate contact terminal is configured on the outside of the charging device and the battery, thereby electrically connecting the charging device and the battery by connecting the two contact terminals to each other.

However, when the contact terminal protrudes to the outside as described above, there is a problem in that the contact terminal is not good and the contact terminal is contaminated with external foreign matters so that the contact state is easily poor. In addition, when the battery is inadvertently shorted or exposed to moisture, the charging energy may be easily lost.

In order to solve the problem of the contact charging method, a wireless charging system for charging the charging device and the battery in a non-contact method has been proposed.

Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 2002-57468, Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 2002-57469, Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 0,428,713, Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 2002-35242 and United States Patent Publication No. 2003 / 0,210,106 Disclosed is a non-contact charging system for charging a battery without a contact terminal by using an inductive coupling between a primary coil and a secondary coil of a battery.

In addition, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2004-87037 accumulates information such as usage time and charge capacity by measuring voltage and current of a battery, and controls to correct charge and discharge capacity of the battery based on the accumulated information. A contactless rechargeable battery pack comprising a circuit is disclosed. In particular, the control circuit further includes a compensation circuit for compensating the charging voltage and the battery temperature based on the charging voltage detected by the battery and the temperature of the battery detected by the temperature sensor unit.

However, the Patent Publication No. 037 'discloses a means for sensing the temperature of the charging mother to detect whether there is a foreign substance or controlling the charging voltage by receiving feedback of the battery status information (charge capacity, charging voltage, available time, etc.). not.

The present invention provides a charging device for generating a primary charging voltage that is most suitable for the state of the battery in a non-contact charging system using an inductive coupling of the primary coil and the secondary coil, the feedback of the battery status information wirelessly. The purpose.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a contactless charging system capable of solving the stability problem due to an increase in temperature due to foreign matter present in the charging pad.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be described below and will be appreciated by the embodiments of the invention. Furthermore, the objects and advantages of the present invention can be realized by means and combinations indicated in the appended claims.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a second charging unit and a second charging unit including a first charging unit including a primary coil and a secondary coil coupled by inductive coupling with the primary coil. Claims are made for a contactless charging system comprising a battery provided with a charging voltage from a charging unit. In this case, the second charging unit includes a secondary side RF module for transmitting the battery state information to the first charging unit using a wireless. And, the first charging unit, (a) a temperature sensor for sensing the temperature of the peripheral portion of the primary coil; (b) a primary RF module for receiving battery status information from the RF module of the second charging unit; (c) switching means for turning on / off the power supplied to the primary coil; (d) voltage adjusting means for converting a commercial AC voltage into an AC voltage suitable for applying to the primary coil; (e) determining whether the temperature sensed by the temperature sensor exceeds a set threshold temperature, and controlling the switching means to cut off the power supplied to the primary coil when the temperature exceeds the threshold temperature; And control means for controlling the voltage adjusting means to generate a primary charging voltage suitable for the battery to be charged based on the battery state information received by the primary RF module.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to this, terms or words used in the specification and claims should not be construed as having a conventional or dictionary meaning, and the inventors should properly explain the concept of terms in order to best explain their own invention. Based on the principle that can be defined, it should be interpreted as meaning and concept corresponding to the technical idea of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments described in the specification and the drawings shown in the drawings are only the most preferred embodiment of the present invention and do not represent all of the technical idea of the present invention, various modifications that can be replaced at the time of the present application It should be understood that there may be equivalents and variations.

1 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a wireless charging system according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the wireless charging system of the present invention includes a primary charging unit 100, a secondary charging unit 200, and a battery unit 300. The primary side charging unit 100 and the secondary side charging unit 200 are coupled to each other by inductive coupling of the primary coil 130 and the secondary coil 210. In addition, the secondary charging unit 200 and the battery unit 300 preferably forms a single battery pack. The secondary charging unit 200 and the battery unit 300 are electromagnetically isolated through an electromagnetic shielding sheet (for example, EMI shielding sheet) not shown.

The primary charging unit 100 is accommodated in, for example, a thin plate-shaped charging pad, and is located from the primary charging unit 100 by placing the battery packs 200 and 300 at a predetermined position on the surface of the charging pad. It is possible to transfer electrical energy to the secondary charging unit 200. As such, the mechanism for delivering electrical energy in a non-contact manner using inductive coupling is disclosed in Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-57468, Korean Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2002-57469, Korean Patent Publication No. 0,428,713, and Korean Patent Publication No. 2002-35242, U.S. Patent Publication No. 2003 / 0,210,106, Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 2004-87037 and Republic of Korea Patent Publication No. 0,451,606.

The primary side charging unit (or charging pad) 100 is a primary coil 130 inductively coupled to the secondary coil 210 of the secondary side charging unit 200 and a power source for the primary coil 130. It includes a power supply unit 110 for supplying a, and a switching controller 120 for turning on / off the power supplied from the power supply unit (110). The power supply unit 110 includes a converter for converting alternating current into direct current or direct current into alternating current and an inverter for adjusting the level of the direct current voltage.

In addition, the primary charging unit 100 of the present invention is a control unit (CPU) 140 for controlling the power supply unit 110 and the switching controller 120, and the battery from the secondary charging unit 200 RF module (antenna: 10, recognition sensor: 180) for receiving status information (charge voltage, temperature, use time, charge capacity, etc.) of the 230, a temperature sensor for sensing the temperature around the primary coil 130 170, a voltage sensor 150, a current sensor 160, and an analog-to-digital converter 190 for detecting a voltage level and a current level of the power supplied to the primary coil 130 are further included.

The analog-to-digital converter 190 converts an analog signal provided from the voltage sensor 150, the current sensor 160, the recognition sensor 180, and the temperature sensor 190 into a digital signal of a binary code so that the control unit ( 140).

The temperature sensor 190 is installed at a predetermined position of a charging pad in which the primary side charging unit 100 is accommodated. In particular, a core in which an inductive coupling between the primary coil 130 and the secondary coil 210 is formed It is installed in the periphery and senses the temperature of the coupling region on the primary side and the secondary side. In general, when a normal battery pack is placed on the charging pad and a smooth inductive coupling is made between the primary side and the secondary side, the temperature of the coupling region does not exceed 40 degrees (preferably 30 degrees). However, very high temperatures may occur in the coupling region when foreign matter is deposited on the charging pad that does not form inductive bonds. This is because magnetic energy generated through the primary coil is converted into thermal energy. As such, when heat exceeding the threshold temperature is generated in the coupling region including the primary coil, there is a risk of fire and the circuits inside the charging unit may be burned out. Accordingly, the control unit 140 of the present invention turns on / off the power applied to the primary coil 130 by adjusting the switching controller 120 based on the temperature value of the coupling region sensed by the temperature sensor 190. Turn it off. That is, when the temperature of the coupling region sensed by the temperature sensor 140 exceeds the set threshold temperature (30 degrees or 40 degrees), the power supply command is transmitted to the switching controller 120. Accordingly, the switching controller 120 cuts off the power supplied from the power supply unit 110 to the primary coil 130. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the primary coil 130 and the charging pad from overheating due to the presence of foreign substances.

The RF modules 10 and 180 receive state information of a battery from the RF module 10 ′ of the secondary charging unit 200 and transmit the state information of the battery to the control unit 140. The control unit 140 controls the charging voltage applied to the primary coil 130 to be optimized for the battery state by adjusting the power supply unit 110 based on the battery state information. In addition, the control unit 140 receives a voltage value and a current value supplied to the primary coil 130 from the voltage sensor 150 and the current sensor 160. Thus, the control unit 140 can monitor whether the charging voltage and current supplied through the power supply unit 110 are maintained at a desired value.

The secondary side charging unit 200 inductively coupled with the primary side charging unit 100 to receive magnetic energy includes a secondary coil 210 for converting magnetic energy provided from the primary side into electrical energy. In addition, the secondary charging unit 200 is a charging controller 220 for adjusting the charging power transmitted from the secondary coil 210 in a form suitable for the battery 230, and the charge controller 220 to the voltage of the battery And a control unit (CPU) 280 for controlling based on over temperature.

The secondary charging unit 200 includes a voltage sensor 260 for detecting a charging voltage supplied to the battery 230, a temperature sensor 250 for sensing a temperature of the battery, and an analog / digital converter 270. . In addition, the secondary charging unit 200 provides from the voltage sensor 260 and the temperature sensor 250 and the unique information (charge capacity, rated voltage, usage time, etc.) of the battery stored in the control unit 280 The apparatus further includes an RF module 10 ′ for transmitting the charging voltage and the temperature value of the battery to the primary charging unit 100. Reference numeral 240 in FIG. 1 denotes a display element for displaying a state of charge of the battery, and 290 denotes a battery circuit formed of a protection circuit or the like.

The primary coil and the secondary coil described above are preferably composed of a coreless ultra-thin coil (for example, a PCB coil) according to the recent trend of light and thin portable electronic devices. It is also possible to include the core. In addition, the said voltage sensor, a current sensor, and a temperature sensor use a well-known thing. Portable electronic devices to which the charging system of the present invention is applied include cellular phones, PDAs, camcorders, digital cameras, electric toothbrushes, electric shavers, and the like.

The mechanism for charging the secondary battery (battery) of the portable electronic device using the wireless charging system of the above configuration is as follows.

The battery pack in which the secondary side charging unit 200 is accommodated is positioned on a charging pad accommodating the primary side charging unit 100 therein. At this time, in order to increase the coupling efficiency of the primary coil and the secondary coil, it is preferable to match the center of the primary coil 130 and the center of the secondary coil 210 as much as possible.

As the battery pack is positioned on the charging pad, the RF module 10 ′ of the secondary charging unit 200 transmits the battery state information transmitted from the secondary side control unit 280 through the wireless charging unit 100 of the primary charging unit 100. Transfer to RF module 10. The primary side control unit 140 receiving the battery state information from the secondary side controls the power supply unit 110 to generate a primary side charge voltage corresponding to the battery state, and applies it to the primary coil 130. The primary coil 130 generates magnetic energy by the applied power and transfers the magnetic energy to the secondary coil 210. Induction electromotive force is generated in the secondary coil 210 by the magnetic energy transmitted from the primary coil 130, and the induced electromotive force is converted into a direct current of a predetermined level by the charge controller 220 and supplied to the battery 230. do. As the battery 230 is charged, the voltage sensor 260 and the temperature sensor 250 of the secondary charging unit 200 detect an overvoltage, an overload, and an overheat state of the battery, and detect the information on the secondary control unit. Pass in 280. The secondary control unit 280 adjusts the charging controller 220 based on the detected charging voltage and the battery temperature, and updates the battery state information stored in the internal memory (not shown). The updated battery status information is also transmitted to the primary side control unit 140 through the RF modules 10 and 10 '.

Meanwhile, the primary side control unit 140 receives the coupling region temperature (the peripheral temperature of the primary coil) of the charging pad from the temperature sensor 170 of the primary side charging unit, and this temperature is transmitted to the internal memory (not shown). Compare whether or not the stored threshold temperature is exceeded. At this time, when the sensed temperature exceeds the threshold temperature, the control unit 140 determines that the foreign matter is placed on the charging pad and cuts off the power line through the switching controller 120. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the charging pad from overheating due to the foreign matter.

As described above, although the present invention has been described by way of limited embodiments and drawings, the present invention is not limited thereto and is intended by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains. Of course, various modifications and variations are possible within the scope of equivalents of the claims to be described.

As described above, the present invention can prevent the contact failure, shortening of the life of the battery, and the like, which is a problem of the contact charging method by transferring power by inductive coupling, and is capable of several types or multiple portable units in one charging unit. Can charge electronic devices.

According to the present invention, since the battery state information of the portable electronic device placed on the charging pad can be fed back in real time, it is possible to provide an optimum charging voltage according to the type of battery.

In addition, the present invention can sense the presence of the foreign matter by sensing the temperature of the region where the primary coil and the secondary coil is coupled to prevent the charge matrix from overheating due to the foreign matter.

Claims (9)

A contactless device comprising a first charging unit including a primary coil, a second charging unit including a secondary coil coupled by inductive coupling with the primary coil, and a battery supplied with a charging voltage from the second charging unit In a charging system, The second charging unit (a) a memory for storing state information of the battery; (b) a battery temperature sensor for sensing a temperature of the battery; (c) a voltage sensor for sensing a charging voltage applied to the battery; (d) a secondary side wireless transmitting and receiving module for transmitting data to the first charging unit using wireless; And (e) controlling means for updating the battery state information of the memory based on the battery temperature and the charging voltage and transferring the updated battery state information to the secondary side wireless transmit / receive module; The first charging unit (f) a coil temperature sensor for sensing a peripheral temperature of the primary coil; (g) a primary wireless transmitting and receiving module for receiving battery status information from the secondary wireless transmitting and receiving module; (h) switching means for turning on / off the power supplied to the primary coil; (i) voltage regulating means for converting a commercial alternating voltage into an alternating voltage suitable for applying to the primary coil; (j) determining whether the temperature sensed by the coil temperature sensor exceeds a predetermined threshold temperature, and if the temperature exceeds the threshold temperature, controlling the switching means to cut off the power supplied to the primary coil, and the primary side And a control means for controlling the voltage adjusting means to generate a charging voltage corresponding to the battery state information received by the wireless transmitting / receiving module. The method of claim 1, wherein the first charging unit is And a voltage sensor for sensing a voltage value and a current value of power supplied to the primary coil, and a current sensor. As a result, the control means determines whether an overload or an overvoltage state controls the switching means on / off. delete The method of claim 2, And the control means of the second charging unit adjusts a charging voltage supplied to the battery based on the battery temperature and the charging voltage. The method of claim 1, The battery state information includes a unique information of the battery, such as charging capacity, usage time, and the like, and a voltage value and a temperature value sensed from the battery being charged. delete The method of claim 1, The peripheral temperature is a contactless charging system, characterized in that the temperature of the region where the primary coil and the secondary coil is coupled. The method of claim 1, Solid-state charging system, characterized in that the primary coil and the secondary coil is composed of an ultra-thin coil. The method of claim 1, And wherein said second charging unit and said battery form a single battery assembly.

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