JP2012085234A - Transmission system and transmission device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a transmission system capable of performing efficient transmission between a pair or resonance elements that are arranged proximally.SOLUTION: In a transmission system, a resonance element 10 included in each transmission device has: a resonance electrode 12 formed on one side of a dielectric substrate 11; a ground electrode 13 formed on the other side of the dielectric substrate 11; and a via conductor 14 and an input and output electrode 16 that serve as a feeding part. When a high-frequency signal is transmitted between a transmission device including a transmission circuit and a transmission device including a reception circuit, the resonance electrodes 12 of the respective resonance elements 10 are arranged so as to be directly opposed to each other at a predetermined distance, and a high frequency signal can be transmitted between the two transmission devices by electric field coupling at the time.

Description

  The present invention relates to a transmission system capable of transmitting power and information in a contactless manner between a pair of transmission apparatuses.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a transmission system that performs data communication in a non-contact manner without wiring a cable or the like between two transmission devices arranged close to each other has attracted attention. This type of transmission system is used for various purposes such as article management and authentication in transportation facilities so as to be applied to, for example, a contactless IC card using RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology. In addition, not only transmission / reception of information but also transmission / reception of power between the two transmission apparatuses has an advantage that it is not necessary to install a battery or install a cable. In general, in the above transmission system, various methods for transmitting and receiving information and power between two transmission apparatuses arranged close to each other have been proposed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for transmitting power with high efficiency by using resonance (resonance) between two resonators. For example, Patent Document 2 discloses a method of transmitting power by arranging two resonant elements each formed of a coil in a magnetic resonance relationship. Further, for example, Patent Document 3 discloses an RFID antenna device that uses magnetic field coupling of a substrate on which a loop antenna is formed. Further, for example, Patent Document 4 discloses a technique for transmitting power using an electrostatic field between two devices.

US Patent Application Publication No. 2007/0222542 JP 2010-063245 A JP 2007-012689 A JP 2009-296857 A

  The conventional transmission system as described above includes a method using magnetic field coupling, a method using electrostatic field coupling, and a method using a resonance phenomenon of a resonator. However, for example, if a configuration that generates a magnetic field by a coil is employed, the generated magnetic field may act on a conductor portion such as metal to generate eddy currents, which may cause problems such as a decrease in magnetic field strength and heat generation. is there. In addition, according to the technique of Patent Document 3 using the electrostatic field coupling between the opposing flat elements, the capacitor is provided as a lumped element, so that resonance characteristics can be generated. It is necessary to provide a separate coil component. In addition, when using high-frequency resonance characteristics, there is a problem that the high-frequency characteristics deteriorate due to the influence of self-resonance of capacitors and coils.

  The present invention has been made to solve these problems, and in the case of using magnetic field coupling or electrostatic field coupling when transmitting power or information between a pair of closely arranged resonant elements. It is an object of the present invention to provide a transmission system capable of performing transmission with good transmission efficiency while preventing the above-described problem.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a first transmission device including a first resonance element that resonates at a predetermined frequency and a first circuit, and a second resonance element that resonates at the predetermined frequency. And a second transmission device including a second circuit, and is applied to a transmission system that transmits a high-frequency signal having the predetermined frequency between the first and second transmission devices. . In the transmission system of the present invention, (1) each of the first and second resonant elements is formed on a resonant electrode formed on one surface of the dielectric substrate and on the other surface of the dielectric substrate. A grounding electrode and a power feeding unit connected to the resonance electrode; (2) at least one of the first and second circuits includes a transmission circuit connected to the power feeding unit; A receiving circuit connected to the power supply unit, and (3) electric field coupling when the resonant electrodes of the first and second resonant elements are arranged in direct opposition with a predetermined distance therebetween, The high-frequency signal is transmitted between the first and second transmission devices.

  According to the transmission system of the present invention, the first and second transmission devices each having a resonance element that resonates at a predetermined frequency are close to each other, and the respective resonance electrodes are directly opposed via a predetermined distance. Then, a high frequency signal is transmitted from one transmitter circuit to the other receiver circuit by electric field coupling between the two. Therefore, non-contact transmission / reception can be realized between two transmission devices placed at a short distance without using electromagnetic radiation such as an antenna suitable for a long distance, and transmission / reception is mainly performed by electric field coupling. As a result, it is possible to transmit a high-frequency signal with higher efficiency than a method using magnetic field coupling or an electrostatic field.

  In the present invention, “by electric field coupling” means that electric field coupling is dominant when transmitting a high-frequency signal between the two resonant elements, and magnetic field coupling sufficiently smaller than electric field coupling is present. It is also assumed that it exists. Further, the “predetermined distance” when the resonance electrodes of the two resonance elements directly face each other is determined depending on the frequency of the high frequency signal and the use of the transmission system. For example, assuming a use of a non-contact IC card such as RFID, it is desirable that the “predetermined distance” is on the order of several tens of mm. In this case, it is desirable that the transmission efficiency is such that the attenuation amount of the high-frequency signal is −10 dB or less between the power feeding portions of the two resonant elements, for example.

  In the present invention, power may be transmitted between the first and second transmission devices, or information may be transmitted. Furthermore, both power and information may be transmitted simultaneously between the first and second transmission devices. In this case, particularly for the form of transmitting power, the transmission circuit includes a power supply and a high-frequency signal generation circuit that generates the high-frequency signal having an amplitude corresponding to the power supplied by the power supply. In addition, the receiving circuit may include a rectifying circuit that rectifies the high-frequency signal received via the power feeding unit and converts the high-frequency signal into a DC voltage.

  In the present invention, in order to ensure good transmission efficiency between the first and second transmission devices, each of the first and second resonant elements is 1/2 with respect to the wavelength λ of the high-frequency signal. It is preferable to form a size within the range of 3λ to 1 / 2λ. For example, for a square surface-shaped (patch-shaped) resonant element, each side can be set within a range of 1 / 3λ to 1 / 2λ.

  In the present invention, the power feeding unit can have various structures. For example, the power feeding unit may have a power feeding structure for matching the impedances of the first and second resonant elements. In this case, as a power feeding structure of the power feeding portion, a via conductor that is electrically connected to the resonant electrode through the dielectric substrate is formed, and the impedance is adjusted according to the diameter of the via conductor. Also good.

  The material of the dielectric substrate is not particularly limited, but may be formed using a ceramic material, for example. By forming the dielectric substrate using a ceramic material, a resonant element having excellent high frequency characteristics can be realized.

  Further, the present invention can be applied not only to the above transmission system but also to each transmission device including the first and second resonant elements that resonate at a predetermined frequency.

  As described above, according to the present invention, in a transmission system that transmits power and information between a pair of closely arranged resonant elements, a high-frequency signal with good transmission efficiency mainly due to electric field coupling generated between the resonant elements. The transmission system suitable for downsizing and high frequency can be used for various applications without causing performance degradation caused by transmission due to magnetic field coupling or electrostatic field coupling.

It is a perspective view showing the schematic structure of the resonant element of this embodiment. It is a figure showing the typical top view, side view, and bottom view of the resonant element of this embodiment, respectively. It is a figure which shows the arrangement | positioning state of a pair of resonant element of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the conditions and result of simulation with respect to a pair of resonance element in the arrangement | positioning state of FIG. It is a graph which shows the frequency characteristic of the transmission efficiency obtained by simulation with respect to a pair of resonant element in the arrangement | positioning state of FIG. It is a figure showing the electromagnetic field distribution of a pair of resonance element in the arrangement state similar to FIG. It is a graph which shows the relationship between distance and transmission efficiency regarding a pair of resonant element. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the transmission system which transmits electric power. It is a figure which shows the structural example of the transmission system which transmits electric power and information.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  First, the structure of a resonant element, which is a main component included in each transmission device of the transmission system of this embodiment, will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic structure of a resonant element 10 of the present embodiment. 2 shows a schematic top view, side view, and bottom view of the resonant element 10 of FIG. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the resonant element 10 of this embodiment is formed on a dielectric substrate 11, a resonant electrode 12 formed on the upper surface of the dielectric substrate 11, and a lower surface of the dielectric substrate 11. A microstrip including a ground electrode 13, a via conductor 14 connected to the resonance electrode 12, an insulating layer 15 formed below the ground electrode 13, and an input / output electrode 16 formed on the lower surface of the insulating layer 15. It has a track structure.

  The dielectric substrate 11 has a square planar shape and a predetermined thickness, and is formed using a ceramic material or a glass epoxy resin material such as FR-4 (Flame retardant-4). It may be formed. The resonant electrode 12 on the upper surface of the dielectric substrate 11 is formed in a rectangular conductor pattern having a size smaller than that of the dielectric substrate 11. The ground electrode 13 on the bottom surface of the dielectric substrate 11 is formed in a solid conductor pattern having substantially the same size as the planar shape of the dielectric substrate 11.

  For example, assuming a resonance frequency in the 430 MHz band, the dielectric substrate 11 and the ground electrode 13 have a planar size of, for example, a rectangular side of about 25 to 100 mm, and the resonant electrode 12 has a rectangular side of, for example, a dielectric. The body substrate 11 has a plane size of about two-thirds, and the thickness of the dielectric substrate 11 is, for example, about 4 to 12 mm. Usually, each of the above-mentioned sizes is desirably set within a range of 1 / 3λ to 1 / 2λ with respect to the wavelength λ of the high-frequency signal to be used. This will be described later. Of course, each of the above-described sizes and thicknesses can be changed to a desired design value suitable for conditions such as a resonance frequency.

  An input / output electrode 16 is formed below the ground electrode 13 with an insulating layer 15 interposed therebetween. A cylindrical via conductor 14 is formed through the dielectric substrate 11 and the insulating layer 15 in the stacking direction to electrically connect the resonance electrode 12 and the input / output electrode 16. As shown in FIG. 2, the central circular portion of the resonance electrode 12 is connected to the upper end portion 14 a of the via conductor 14, and the circular portion of the input / output electrode 16 is connected to the lower end portion 14 b of the via conductor 14. As shown in FIG. 2, the input / output electrode 16 is formed in a tapered conductor pattern and gradually extends from one end connected to the lower end portion 14 b of the via conductor 14 to the other end portion on the side surface side of the resonant element 10. It has a shape that narrows. The insulating layer 15 is provided to electrically insulate the ground electrode 13 and the input / output electrode 16 from each other, is sufficiently thinner than the dielectric substrate 11, and is formed of the same material.

  The cylindrical region where the via conductors 14 are formed may be formed with a conductor only on the surface thereof to be hollow, but may be filled entirely with a conductive material. The via conductor 14 corresponding to the power feeding portion is used as an impedance adjusting means because the impedance of the resonant element 10 changes according to its diameter. This point will be described later. Note that the size of the input / output electrode 16 electrically connected to the via conductor 14 is adjusted so as to have, for example, an impedance of 50Ω.

  At the time of transmission operation using the resonant element 10 having the structure of FIGS. 1 and 2, a high-frequency signal having a predetermined resonance frequency (for example, 430 MHz band) is input from the transmission circuit to the input / output electrode 16 and via the via conductor 14. The resonant electrode 12 is excited. Further, during the reception operation using the above-described resonance element 10, a high-frequency signal having a predetermined resonance frequency is generated at the resonance electrode 12 that has received an electric field in the external space, and is received via the via conductor 14 and the input / output electrode 16. Transmitted to the circuit.

  Next, transmission characteristics of the resonant element 10 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 shows an arrangement state of the pair of resonant elements 10 having the structure of FIGS. 1 and 2. The table of FIG. 4 shows the simulation conditions and results for the pair of resonant elements 10 in the arrangement state of FIG. In FIG. 3, one resonance element 10 (1) and the other resonance element 10 (2) are arranged at positions where they overlap each other in the stacking direction with a transmission distance L, and the respective resonance electrode 12 sides face each other directly. The arrangement state is shown. FIG. 4 defines five conditions 1 to 5 as design conditions and transmission distance L values for the dielectric substrate 11, the resonance electrode 12, and the via conductor 14, and simulations for these conditions 1 to 5. The results obtained by performing are shown in the table.

  The conditions 1 to 5 shown in FIG. 4 include the material of the dielectric substrate 11 and the relative permittivity εr, the planar size (length of one side) of the entire resonant element 10 and the resonant electrode 12, and the diameter of the via conductor 14. Various combinations of the thickness of the dielectric substrate 11 and the transmission distance L in FIG. 3 are included. In addition, a transmission efficiency and a transmission frequency F0, which will be described later, obtained based on the simulation results are shown. As shown in FIG. 4, it can be seen that the frequency band of the resonant element 10 can be applied to the 950 MHz band in addition to the 430 MHz band. In this case, when the size of the resonant element 10 is compared in the case of the same material (ceramic), the size can be further reduced when applied to the 950 MHz band compared to the case of applying to the 430 MHz band. Further, when comparing the two conditions 4 and 5 in the 950 MHz band, it is possible to obtain higher transmission efficiency and to reduce the size of the dielectric substrate 11 using ceramic than FR-4.

  FIG. 5 shows frequency characteristics of transmission efficiency obtained by simulation for the pair of resonant elements 10 in the arrangement state of FIG. According to the condition 1, as shown in FIG. 4, the overall size of the resonant element 10 (length of one side) is 50 mm, the size of the resonant electrode 12 (one side) is 36.25 mm, The thickness of the dielectric substrate 11 is set to 12 mm, and the diameter of the via conductor 14 is set to 12 mm. The transmission distance L is set to L = 34 mm.

  In FIG. 5, with respect to the frequency range of 410 to 460 MHz on the horizontal axis, the vertical axis shows the value (dB) of the S parameter S21 obtained by simulation as a graph. The S parameter S21 represents a transmission characteristic of a high-frequency signal transmitted from one resonance element 10 (1) to the other resonance element 10 (2) in the arrangement state of FIG. A transmission characteristic peak P appears almost at the center of the horizontal axis in FIG. 5, and when the frequency of the peak P is defined as a transmission frequency F0, F0 = 435.9 MHz. Further, the S parameter S21 of the peak P is S21 = −1.143 (dB), and at this time, the transmission characteristic has the highest transmittance (high efficiency). Therefore, if this is defined as the transmission efficiency, FIG. The transmission efficiency corresponds to 76.8%. In this way, when a pair of resonant elements 10 of the present embodiment is used in the arrangement state of FIG. 3 and a high frequency signal is transmitted, very good transmission efficiency can be obtained.

  Here, a transmission mechanism between the pair of resonant elements 10 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an electromagnetic field distribution when a high frequency signal having a frequency of 435 MHz is transmitted with respect to the pair of resonant elements 10 placed in the same arrangement state as FIG. The upper part of FIG. 6 represents the electric field strength distribution, and the lower part of FIG. 6 represents the magnetic field strength distribution. The upper portion of the electric field strength portion in FIG. 6 becomes stronger as it approaches the inside of each resonance electrode 12 of the pair of opposingly arranged resonance elements 10, but peaks at the outer peripheral portion surrounding the via conductor 14 of the resonance electrode 12. Appears. On the other hand, the magnetic field strength portion in the lower part of FIG. 6 is extremely weak compared to the electric field strength distribution. Thus, it can be seen that the magnetic field coupling is extremely weak and the electric field coupling is dominant between the pair of resonant elements 10 placed in the arrangement state of FIG.

  On the other hand, FIG. 7 shows the transmission efficiency L obtained by the simulation with respect to the pair of resonant elements 10 in the arrangement state of FIG. The relationship with the transmission efficiency of the shaft is shown as a graph. In FIG. 7, the characteristic C1 when impedance matching is performed by the via conductor 14 and the characteristic C2 when impedance matching is not performed are shown overlapped. Further, as a transmission distance L corresponding to the characteristics of FIG. 5, a position where L = 34 mm is represented by a broken line.

  First, in the characteristic C1 with impedance matching, a transmission efficiency of 76.8% is obtained as already described at the position of L = 34 mm. With this position as a reference, the transmission efficiency gradually increases in a region where the transmission distance L is small, but the transmission efficiency decreases in a region where the transmission distance L is large. On the other hand, in the characteristic C2 in the case of no impedance matching, the transmission efficiency substantially equal to the characteristic C1 is obtained at the position of L = 34 mm, and the transmission efficiency is deteriorated compared with the characteristic C1 in other regions. In particular, in the region where the transmission distance L is large, the transmission efficiency of the characteristic C2 is sharply deteriorated. As described above, in order to reduce the deterioration of the transmission efficiency as the transmission distance L increases, it is desirable to perform impedance matching of the resonant element 10.

  4, for example, the transmission distance L tends to increase when the diameter of the via conductor 14 is reduced, and the transmission distance L decreases when the diameter of the via conductor 14 is increased. Tend to be. However, an excessively large diameter of the via conductor 14 is not preferable because the region of the resonance electrode 12 that contributes to electric field coupling is restricted.

ただし、ｆ：周波数
εｒ：誘電体基板１１の比誘電率
μｒ：誘電体基板１１の比透磁率（ここでは、μｒ＝１とする） Further, regarding the conditions 1 to 5 shown in FIG. 4, the size of the resonance electrode 12 and the wavelength λ are closely related. Here, the wavelength λ is expressed by the following equation.

Where f: frequency
εr: relative dielectric constant of dielectric substrate 11
μr: relative permeability of dielectric substrate 11 (here, μr = 1)

  Then, regarding the conditions 1 to 5 shown in FIG. 4, when the ratio of the wavelength λ of the above equation to the size of the resonant electrode 12 is obtained, it falls within the range of 0.465 to 0.482. Actually, in order to ensure good transmission efficiency, it is preferable to set the size of the resonance electrode 12 within the range of 1 / 3λ to 1 / 2λ as described above.

  Next, a configuration example of the transmission system of this embodiment will be described. The transmission system according to the present embodiment includes a plurality of transmission devices each including the resonant element 10 shown in FIG. In the following, for the sake of simplicity, a configuration example of a transmission system including two transmission apparatuses will be described. As described above, since one or both of power and information can be transmitted by the pair of resonance elements 10, FIG. 8 shows the transmission system 1 that transmits power, and FIG. 9 shows transmission that transmits power and information. The system 1a is shown.

  The configuration example of the transmission system 1 illustrated in FIG. 8 includes two transmission devices 2 and 3 and has a function of transmitting power from the transmission device 2 on the transmission side to the transmission device 3 on the reception side. . The transmission device 2 on the transmission side includes a power source 20, a high-frequency transmitter 21, an amplifier circuit 22, an impedance matching circuit 23, and a resonant element 10 (0). The power supply 20 generates DC power having a predetermined voltage value. When the transmission device 2 is for portable use, a secondary battery may be mounted as the power source 20. The high frequency transmitter 21 uses the power supplied from the power supply 20 to generate a high frequency signal having the above-described resonance frequency. The amplifier circuit 22 amplifies the high frequency signal output from the high frequency transmitter 21 and outputs a transmission signal of a predetermined level. The impedance matching circuit 23 is a circuit configured to match the impedance of the resonance element 10 (0), which is configured in a signal path including the via conductor 14 described above. The impedance may be adjusted only by the via conductor 14, but an individual element for adjustment may be provided in addition to the via conductor 14. With the above-described components, the above-described resonance frequency and a predetermined level of transmission signal are input to the resonance element 10 (0).

  On the other hand, the transmission device 3 on the receiving side includes a resonant element 10 (1), an impedance matching circuit 30, a rectifier circuit 31, a power supply control circuit 32, and a device 33. The resonant element 10 (1) receives a transmission signal transmitted from the resonant element 10 (0) arranged opposite to the resonant element 10 (1) and outputs a reception signal. The role of the impedance matching circuit 30 is the same as that of the impedance matching circuit 23 on the transmission side. The rectifier circuit 31 is a circuit that rectifies a received signal received from the resonant element 10 (1) via the impedance matching circuit 30 and converts it into a DC voltage. For example, the rectifying circuit 31 can use the rectifying action of a diode. The power supply control circuit 32 controls the DC voltage output from the rectifier circuit 31 and supplies it to the device 33. The power supply control circuit 32 may be configured to be able to store power by connecting a secondary battery or a capacitor, or may be provided with a filter circuit, a booster circuit, or the like. The device 33 is a load to which a DC voltage is supplied from the power supply control circuit 32 and is not particularly limited, but various forms such as an IC having a predetermined function can be used.

  Next, the configuration example of the transmission system 1a shown in FIG. 9 includes two transmission devices 2a and 3a, and functions to transmit power and information from the transmission device 2a on the transmission side to the transmission device 3a on the reception side. have. In the configuration example of FIG. 9, in the transmission system 1a, the transmission device 3a has a transmission function in addition to the reception function, and the transmission device 2a has a reception function in addition to the transmission function. The transmission device 2a on the transmission side includes a data I / O unit 40, an RF transceiver circuit 41, a power source 42, an impedance matching circuit 43, and a resonant element 10 (0). The data I / O unit 40 sequentially transmits data to be transmitted according to a predetermined format. The RF transceiver circuit 41 uses the power supplied from the power supply 42 to generate a high-frequency signal modulated by the data received from the data I / O unit 40. This high-frequency signal becomes a transmission signal having the above-described resonance frequency and a predetermined level. The impedance matching circuit 43 is a circuit that matches the impedance of the resonant element 10 (0), similarly to the impedance matching circuit 23 of FIG. With the above components, a transmission signal having the above-described resonance frequency and a predetermined level is input to the resonance element 10 (0).

  On the other hand, the transmission apparatus 3a on the reception side includes the resonant element 10 (1), the impedance matching circuit 50, the distribution circuit 51, the rectifier circuit 52, the power supply control circuit 53, the RF transceiver circuit 54, the device control circuit 55, and the device 56. Yes. The resonant element 10 (1) receives a transmission signal transmitted from the resonant element 10 (0) arranged opposite to the resonant element 10 (1) and outputs a reception signal. The role of the impedance matching circuit 50 is the same as that of the impedance matching circuit 43 on the transmission side. However, since the transmission device 3a has both a transmission function and a reception function, the impedance matching circuit 50 includes a matching circuit corresponding to transmission and reception. A terminal Tr connected to the matching circuit on the reception side and a terminal Ts connected to the matching circuit on the transmission side are provided. The distribution circuit 51 connected to the receiving terminal Tr of the impedance matching circuit 50 receives the received signal received from the resonant element 10 (1) via the impedance matching circuit 50 as a power signal path and an information signal path. Distribute. That is, the distribution circuit 51 is connected to the rectifier circuit 52 and the RF transceiver circuit 54, respectively, with the former being a power signal path and the latter being an information signal path. In FIG. 9, the information signal path is indicated by a dotted line and is distinguished from other paths.

  The rectifier circuit 52 functions in the same manner as the rectifier circuit 31 of FIG. 8, and is a circuit that rectifies the received signal received from the distribution circuit 51 and converts it into a DC voltage. The DC voltage obtained by the rectifier circuit 52 is supplied to the power supply control circuit 53 and the RF transceiver circuit 54, respectively. The power supply control circuit 53 and the device 56 function in the same manner as the power supply control circuit 32 and the device 33 in FIG. 8, but a device control circuit 55 is provided in addition to these components as shown in FIG. . The device control circuit 55 is a control circuit that operates by a DC voltage supplied from the power supply control circuit 53, and for example, an IC chip or the like is used. The device control circuit 55 controls the operation of the device 56 based on information (program and data) held in the storage unit. On the other hand, the RF transceiver circuit 54 demodulates the received signal received from the distribution circuit 51 and extracts data. The device control circuit 55 receives the data extracted by the RF transceiver circuit 54 and determines necessary control information. Further, at the time of transmission operation in the transmission device 3a, the RF transceiver circuit 54 generates a high-frequency signal modulated by data to be transmitted, and outputs it as a transmission signal to the resonant element 10 (1) via the impedance matching circuit 50.

  As described above, the transmission systems 1 and 1a shown in the two configuration examples can be applied to various uses. The transmission system 1 (FIG. 8) that transmits power can be used for devices such as sensor terminals that do not have their own power supply. For example, by transmitting power from the transmission device 2 that can use a power source to the transmission device 3 that does not have a power source, the sensor of the transmission device 3 can be driven without wiring a cable or the like. The transmission system 1a (FIG. 9) for transmitting power and information can be used for the purpose of transmitting power and information from the fixed transmission device 2a to the portable transmission device 3a. For example, like general RFID, it can be used for authentication purposes in article management and transportation. Further, for example, the present invention can be used for communication of various types of information between a fixed transmission device 2a installed on a road and a mobile transmission device 3a arranged in an automobile or the like.

  8 and 9, the transmission system 1 that transmits power and the transmission system 1a that transmits power and information have been described. However, the present invention is also applied to a transmission system that transmits only information without transmitting power. The invention can be applied. Further, a transmission apparatus that transmits power, a transmission apparatus that transmits information, and a transmission apparatus that transmits power and information may be mixed in the transmission system. Further, a transmission device including a transmission circuit, a transmission device including a reception circuit, and a transmission device including both a transmission circuit and a reception circuit may be mixed in the transmission system.

  As mentioned above, although the content of this invention was concretely demonstrated based on this embodiment, this invention is not limited to each above-mentioned embodiment, A various change can be given in the range which does not deviate from the summary. . For example, in FIGS. 1 and 2, the case where the resonance electrode 12 has a rectangular conductor pattern has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the resonance electrode 12 is formed by using conductor patterns having various shapes such as a rectangle or a circle. Can be formed. Further, the via conductors 14 and the input / output electrodes 16 are not limited to the structures shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 and can be formed in various structures. Further, a side electrode connected to the input / output electrode 16 may be provided instead of providing the via conductor 14 as a power feeding portion. In this case, as the impedance adjusting means, the size of the slit formed in the resonant electrode 12 may be adjusted instead of the via conductor 14.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 (1a) ... Transmission system 2, 3 (2a, 3a) ... Transmission apparatus 10 ... Resonant element 11 ... Dielectric substrate 12 ... Resonant electrode 13 ... Ground electrode 14 ... Via conductor 15 ... Insulating layer 16 ... Input / output electrode 20, 42 ... Power source 21 ... High frequency transmitter 22 ... Amplifier circuit 23, 30, 43, 50 ... Impedance matching circuit 31, 52 ... Rectifier circuit 32, 53 ... Power control circuit 33, 56 ... Device 40 ... Data I / O unit 41, 54 ... RF transceiver circuit 51 ... Distribution circuit 55 ... Device control circuit

Claims (13)

A first transmission device including a first resonant element that resonates at a predetermined frequency, and a first circuit;
A second transmission device including a second resonant element that resonates at the predetermined frequency, and a second circuit;
A transmission system configured to transmit a high-frequency signal of the predetermined frequency between the first and second transmission devices,
Each of the first and second resonant elements includes:
A resonance electrode formed on one surface of the dielectric substrate; a ground electrode formed on the other surface of the dielectric substrate; and a power feeding unit connected to the resonance electrode.
Of the first and second circuits, at least one includes a transmission circuit connected to the power supply unit, and the other includes a reception circuit connected to the power supply unit,
The high frequency between the first and second transmission devices due to electric field coupling when the resonant electrodes of the first and second resonant elements are arranged in direct opposition with a predetermined distance therebetween. A transmission system characterized in that a signal is transmitted.   The transmission system according to claim 1, wherein power is transmitted by the high-frequency signal.   The transmission system according to claim 1 or 2, wherein information is transmitted by the high-frequency signal.   The transmission system according to claim 2, wherein the transmission circuit includes a power supply and a high-frequency signal generation circuit that generates the high-frequency signal having an amplitude corresponding to the power supplied from the power supply.   The transmission system according to claim 2, wherein the reception circuit includes a rectification circuit that rectifies the high-frequency signal received through the power supply unit and converts the high-frequency signal into a DC voltage.   4. The device according to claim 1, wherein each of the first and second resonant elements has a size within a range of 1 / 3λ to 1 / 2λ with respect to a wavelength λ of the high-frequency signal. The transmission system according to Crab.   The transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the power feeding unit has a power feeding structure for matching impedances of the first and second resonant elements.   The power feeding structure is a via conductor that is electrically connected to the resonance electrode through the dielectric substrate, and the impedance can be adjusted according to a diameter of the via conductor. The transmission system described in 1.   The transmission system according to claim 1, wherein the dielectric substrate is made of a ceramic material. A transmission device comprising: a first resonance element that resonates at a predetermined frequency; and a second resonance element that resonates at the predetermined frequency,
Each of the first and second resonant elements includes:
A resonance electrode formed on one surface of the dielectric substrate; a ground electrode formed on the other surface of the dielectric substrate; and a power feeding unit connected to the resonance electrode.
The high-frequency wave is generated between the first and second resonant elements by electric field coupling when the resonant electrodes of the first and second resonant elements are arranged so as to face each other directly over a predetermined distance. A transmission device characterized in that a signal is transmitted.   The transmission circuit connected to at least one of the power supply units, and the reception circuit connected to the other power supply unit, of the first and second resonance elements, further comprising: 10. The transmission device according to 10.   12. A power transmission device, wherein power is transmitted between the first and second resonant elements according to claim 11.   Information is transmitted between said 1st and 2nd resonant element of Claim 11, The information transmission apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned.

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