WO2015001672A1

WO2015001672A1 - Control apparatus and method, and wireless power transfer apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2015001672A1
Application number: PCT/JP2013/068542
Authority: WO
Inventors: 寛明石原; 浩平鬼塚; 芙美杜塚; 克之池内; 大高　章二
Original assignee: 株式会社東芝
Priority date: 2013-07-05
Filing date: 2013-07-05
Publication date: 2015-01-08
Also published as: JP6271548B2; JPWO2015001672A1

Abstract

[Problem] To allow high-speed control operations in the context of wireless power transfer. [Solution] A control apparatus that serves as an embodiment of this invention is provided with an information acquisition unit and a control unit. The information acquisition unit executes an acquisition process that acquires transmitted-power information from a power-transmitting unit and/or an acquisition process that acquires received-power information from a power-receiving unit that receives power transferred from the power-transmitting unit. The aforementioned control unit is capable of executing a plurality of the following processes: a power-transmission adjustment process performed on the power-transmitting unit in accordance with the transmitted-power information, an impedance adjustment process performed on the power-receiving unit in accordance with the transmitted-power information, a power-transmission adjustment process performed on the power-transmitting unit in accordance with the received-power information, and an impedance adjustment process performed on the power-receiving unit in accordance with the received-power information. The control unit selects one of the aforementioned plurality of processes on the basis of a predetermined condition and executes the selected process.

Description

Control device and method, and wireless power transmission device

Embodiments described herein relate generally to a control apparatus and method, and a wireless power transmission apparatus.

In wireless power transmission, it is known that power and transmission efficiency vary depending on transmission distance and load impedance. For example, in order to adjust the power according to the state of the load, there is a method of controlling the power on the power transmission side in response to a notification from the secondary battery.

However, since notification from the secondary battery is performed via wireless communication, a communication delay occurs. This delay limits the speed of power control through notification from the secondary battery. For this reason, there is a problem that power control is not properly performed when a high-speed coupling state variation or load variation occurs. At this time, if the charging power is too small or too large, there is a risk of stopping power transmission or destroying the device.

JP 2012-210112 A

The embodiment of the present invention is intended to enable a high-speed control operation in wireless power transmission.

The control device as an embodiment of the present invention includes an information acquisition unit and a control unit.

The information acquisition unit executes at least one of an acquisition process of transmission power information from a power transmission unit and an acquisition process of received power information from a power reception unit that receives power transmitted from the power transmission unit.

The control unit includes a power transmission adjustment process of the power transmission unit according to the transmission power information, an impedance adjustment process of the power reception unit according to the transmission power information, and a power transmission adjustment of the power transmission unit according to the power reception information. A plurality of processes can be executed among the process and the impedance adjustment process of the power receiving unit according to the received power information, and one of the plurality of processes is switched and selected based on a predetermined condition. Execute the process.

1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a wireless power transmission device according to a first embodiment. FIG. The figure which shows the example of the connection form of a coil and a capacity | capacitance. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an operation flow of the control device shown in FIG. The figure which shows the structure of the wireless power transmission apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an operation flow of the control device shown in FIG. The figure which shows the example 1 of load. The figure which shows the example 2 of load. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a wireless power transmission device according to a third embodiment. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an operation flow of the control device shown in FIG. The figure which shows the structure of the wireless power transmission apparatus which concerns on 4th Embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an operation flow of the control device shown in FIG. FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of a wireless power transmission device according to a fifth embodiment. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an operation flow of the control device shown in FIG. The figure which shows the structure of the wireless power transmission apparatus which concerns on 6th Embodiment. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an operation flow of the control device shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a configuration of a wireless power transmission apparatus according to a seventh embodiment. The figure which shows the control flow which concerns on 8th Embodiment. The block diagram which concerns on 9th Embodiment. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a control flow in the configuration shown in FIG. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing another configuration example according to the ninth embodiment. The figure which shows the operation | movement flow of FIG.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

First embodiment

FIG. 1 shows a wireless power transmission apparatus including the control apparatus according to the first embodiment.

The wireless power transmission device includes a power transmission unit 21 that wirelessly transmits power, a power reception unit 31 that receives power, and a control device 11. The control device 11 may be incorporated in the power transmission unit 21 or the power reception unit 31, or may be provided separately from the power transmission unit 21 and the power reception unit 31.

The power transmission unit 21 includes an AC power source 22 that generates AC power and a power transmission unit connected to the AC power source 22. The power transmission unit includes a coil 1 and a capacitor 1. The coil 1 and the capacitor 1 are connected in series. A power transmission adjustment signal for adjusting the output of the AC power supply is input from the control device 11 to the AC power supply 22.

The power receiving unit 31 includes a load 32 and a power receiving unit connected to the load 32. The power receiving unit includes a coil 2 and a capacitor 2. The coil 2 and the capacitor 2 are connected in series. The load 32 may be any device that consumes or stores power. The power receiving unit 31 includes a wireless communication device 33, and the wireless communication device 33 performs wireless communication with the control device 11.

The power transmission / reception unit 41 is formed by the coil 1 and the capacity 1 on the power transmission side and the coil 2 and the capacity 2 on the power reception side. In the power transmission / reception unit 41, power transmission is performed between the coils 1 and 2 via magnetic coupling. That is, in the coil 1, a magnetic field corresponding to the power signal from the AC power supply 22 is generated, and this magnetic field is coupled to the coil 2 so that the power signal is transmitted to the power receiving side. The transmitted electric power is supplied to the load 32 and consumed or stored in the load 32.

In the configuration shown in FIG. 1, when the resonance frequencies of the coil 1 and the capacitor 1, and the coil 2 and the capacitor 2 are the same as the frequency of the power supplied from the AC power source 22, If R _L , then it is expressed as:

P _L is load power, V ₁ is transmission voltage amplitude (rms), Q ₁ and Q ₂ are Q values of coil 1 and coil 2, L ₁ and L ₂ are coil 1, and inductance k of coil 2 is coil 1 And the coupling coefficient of coil 2. From the equation (1), the load power can be changed by adjusting the transmission voltage amplitude V ₁ . Although the case where the AC power source is a voltage source is shown here, even when a current source is connected, the power can be similarly changed by the current amplitude.

The method for adjusting the output of the AC power supply may be any method as long as the output power can be changed. For example, the transmission voltage amplitude or current amplitude may be changed to a value corresponding to the transmission adjustment signal. Alternatively, the transmission power may be controlled to be constant at a value indicated by the power transmission adjustment signal. Or you may change the ratio of the time when an alternating current waveform is output according to a power transmission adjustment signal. The AC power supply may be realized by, for example, a combination of a DC voltage source and an inverter. In this case, the AC power source is equivalent by adjusting the output voltage of the DC voltage source or changing the phase difference between phases in the multiphase inverter. The amplitude of the AC output may be changed. Further, the power transmission inductance or the coupling coefficient may be changed by adjusting the position of the coil on the power transmission side, the amount of ferrite, the coil shape, and the like by the power transmission adjustment signal. Also by this, transmission power can be changed.

The power transmission unit 21 is provided with a function of notifying the control device 11 of information related to power transmitted from the power transmission unit as transmission power information. The transmitted power information may be information indicating the power itself at an arbitrary location in the power transmission unit, or may be information on voltage or current at an arbitrary location.

The power receiving unit 31 is provided with a function of detecting information related to power supplied to the power receiving unit and notifying the control device 11 as received power information. The received power information may be information indicating the power itself at an arbitrary location in the power receiving unit, or information on voltage or current at an arbitrary location.

A power reception adjustment signal (impedance adjustment signal) for adjusting the impedance of the power reception unit 31 may be input from the control device 11 (see an embodiment described later). As a method of adjusting the load impedance by the power reception adjustment signal, for example, there is a method of changing the power consumed or accumulated by the load. In addition, when the load includes a device whose impedance is variable in addition to a device that consumes or stores electric power, the load impedance may be changed by adjusting the value of the device. Information on the power consumed or accumulated by the load 32 is output to the control device 11. The power information may be, for example, information indicating the power itself, or information on voltage or current. Information on the power consumed or accumulated by the load corresponds to an example of the received power information described above.

The control device 11 realizes a stable control operation even when the load state or the coupling state between the power transmission unit and the power receiving unit changes during power supply to the load in the power receiving unit 31 (for example, during charging). The control device 11 includes a calculation unit (control unit, information acquisition unit) 12 that controls the overall operation of the control device 11, and a wireless communication device (information acquisition unit) 13.

The wireless communication device 13 acquires received power information from the wireless communication device 32 of the power reception unit 31 via wireless communication. The wireless communication device 13 includes an information acquisition unit that acquires received power information. The wireless communication device 13 and the wireless communication device 33 of the power receiving unit 31 may be any communication device. For example, a general wireless communication standard such as a wireless LAN or Bluetooth may be used, or an original wireless communication standard may be used. Further, inter-coil communication using the magnetic coupling of the coils 1 and 2 in the power transmission / reception unit 41 may be used.

The control device 11 is connected to the power transmission unit 21 in a form in which communication is possible by a method with a smaller delay than wireless communication with the power reception unit 31. The communication between the control device 11 and the power transmission unit 21 may be wired communication or may be wireless communication like the power receiving unit 31. The control device 11 has an input terminal to which transmission power information is input, and an output terminal that outputs a power transmission adjustment signal to the power transmission unit. The input terminal and the output terminal are connected to the power transmission unit 21 by wire. The input terminal and the output terminal may be one common terminal. The control device 11 includes an information acquisition unit that acquires transmission power information via an input terminal.

Here, although the communication of the power transmission adjustment signal and the transmitted power information is the same wired communication, they may be transmitted and received by different communications. For example, one may be wireless and the other may be wired, or both may be wired and only the method may be different. It is assumed that both communications have a smaller delay than that of received power information.

In FIG. 1, the capacitor 1 is connected to the output side of the AC power source 22 and the coil 1 is connected to the ground terminal side. However, as shown in FIG. Good. The power receiving side may have the same configuration.

Furthermore, either one or both of the capacitor 1 and the coil 1 may be divided and connected. For example, when the capacitor 1 is divided into two, the capacitors 1a and 1b are connected to both sides of the coil 1 as shown in FIG.

Or, when the coil 1 is divided into two, the coils 1a and 1b are respectively connected to both sides of the capacitor 1 as shown in FIG. In this case, electric power is transmitted to the power receiving side by the two coils 1a and 1b. The number of divisions is not limited to 2, and may be 3 or more. The power receiving side may have the same configuration.

3 (a) and 3 (b) show a flowchart of the operation of the control device 11. When the control device 11 changes the power transmission adjustment signal, one of the control flows in FIG. 3 (a) or FIG. 3 (b) is used. This operation is executed by the calculation unit 12 of the control device 11. A method for determining which control operation to select will be described later.

First, the control flow in Fig. 3 (a) will be described. First, the control device 11 acquires received power information detected in the power receiving unit 31 via wireless communication (step S11). Next, it is determined whether the received power is within a first predetermined range (step S12). In other words, it is determined whether the received power exceeds the upper limit (threshold value) and the lower limit (threshold value) of the first predetermined range. The first predetermined range can take an arbitrary value such as a value determined from the power required by the load or a value defined by the power transmission unit. The first predetermined range may be a value updated at regular intervals according to the coupling state between the coils, the load state, and the power transmission unit state.

When the received power is within the first predetermined range, the control device 11 ends without changing the power transmission adjustment signal.

When the received power is outside the first predetermined range, the control device 11 changes the power transmission adjustment signal so that the received power is corrected in a direction approaching the first predetermined range (step S13). For example, when the received power is larger than the upper limit of the first predetermined range, the power transmission adjustment signal is changed so that the received power decreases, that is, the received power is corrected in a direction approaching the upper limit. To do. Conversely, when the received power is smaller than the lower limit of the predetermined range, the power transmission adjustment signal may be changed so that the received power increases, that is, the received power is corrected in a direction approaching the lower limit. . The changed power transmission adjustment signal is transmitted to the power transmission unit 21 via wired communication.

It should be noted that the first predetermined range is not limited to a range having a certain width, but includes a case of a single value such as a predetermined value. In this case, determining whether the received power is outside the predetermined range is synonymous with determining whether the received power matches a predetermined value.

Next, the control flow in FIG. 3 (b) will be described.

First, the control device 11 acquires transmission power information via wired communication (step S21). Next, it is determined whether or not the transmitted power is within a second predetermined range (step S22). In other words, it is determined whether the transmission power exceeds the upper limit (threshold value) and the lower limit (threshold value) of the second predetermined range.

When the transmitted power is within the second predetermined range, the control device 11 ends without changing the power transmission adjustment signal (step S23).

When the transmitted power is outside the second predetermined range, the control device 11 changes the power transmission adjustment signal so that the transmitted power is corrected in a direction approaching the second predetermined range. For example, when the transmission power is larger than the upper limit of the second predetermined range, the transmission adjustment signal is changed so that the transmission power decreases, that is, the transmission power is corrected in a direction approaching the upper limit. To do. Conversely, when the transmitted power is smaller than the lower limit of the second predetermined range, the transmission adjustment signal is changed so that the transmitted power increases, that is, the transmission power is corrected in a direction approaching the lower limit. To do. The changed power transmission adjustment signal is transmitted to the power transmission unit 21. By repeating this flow as necessary, the transmitted power is adjusted to the second predetermined range.

In the control flow of FIG. 3 (a), received power information is collected via wireless communication. For this reason, the frequency of updating the power transmission adjustment signal is limited by the delay of the wireless communication function. On the other hand, in the control flow of FIG. 3 (b), since the information collection is performed by a method with a smaller delay than the collection of received power information such as wired communication, the change frequency of the transmission adjustment signal is as shown in FIG. 3 (a). It is possible to increase the frequency. For example, the power transmission adjustment signal can be updated every response time of the power circuit. For this reason, the operation of the control flow in FIG. 3B is suitable when a high-speed response is required.

The control device 11 may continuously perform an operation of selecting and executing any one of the control flows of FIG. 3 (a) and FIG. 3 (b) at regular intervals. Alternatively, the operation may be performed every time transmission power information or received power information changes by a certain amount or more from a value when the operation was performed last time. Alternatively, the operation may be performed at other timing.

Here, a method for determining the switching of the control flow shown in FIGS. 3 (a) and 3 (b) will be described.

Normally, the control device 11 selects the control flow shown in FIG. 3 (a) as a basic operation flow in advance, and operates according to this control flow. As a result, the received power, voltage, current, or the like is constantly controlled within the target range. This is suitable when the load 32 requires constant power.

However, if the factors related to transmission / reception power change at a certain level or more, or at a certain speed or more, there may be fluctuations in the transmission power or the reception power that cannot be followed by the control flow in Fig. 3 (a). At this time, there is a possibility that power transmission will stop or fail due to excessive increase or decrease in power. In such a case, by switching to the operation of the control flow shown in FIG. 3 (b), a high-speed tracking response becomes possible. As a result, it is possible to avoid the stoppage or failure of the apparatus.

The reference for switching to the control flow in FIG. 3 (b) may be, for example, a case where the received power increases by a certain amount or more from the upper limit of the first predetermined range. This is because even though the received power is controlled so as to approach the first predetermined range by the control flow of FIG. This is because it can be determined that the state of some element is changing at a speed that cannot be followed by the control flow of FIG.

Similarly, switching may be performed when the received power falls below a certain amount from the lower limit of the first predetermined range.

Also, when the amount of change in the received power over a predetermined time becomes a certain value or more, the control flow may be switched to the control flow in FIG.

Furthermore, when the magnitude or change width of the transmission power exceeds a certain value, the control flow may be switched to the control flow in FIG.

Furthermore, when the wireless communication is interrupted, the control flow may be switched to the control flow in FIG. 3B that does not use the wireless communication.

A function for determining switching of the control flow may be provided in the power receiving unit or as another device connected to the power receiving unit, and a control flow switching command may be notified to the control device 11 via a wireless communication device.

The standard for switching from the state using the control flow in FIG. 3 (b) to the state using the control flow in FIG. 3 (a) is changed to a state using the control flow in FIG. It may be the case when it has passed. Alternatively, the received power or the magnitude of the transmitted power may be used as a reference. For example, when the transmitted power is in the second predetermined range, the control flow may be switched to the control flow in FIG.

Alternatively, even when the control flow of FIG. 3 (b) is used, the received power is monitored at regular intervals, and when the received power is within the first predetermined range, the control flow of FIG. You may switch. At this time, for example, the received power is monitored at a predetermined interval by another device provided in the power receiving unit 31, and when the received power falls within the first predetermined range, a signal for instructing switching of the control flow is transmitted wirelessly. You may notify a control apparatus via communication.

These control flow switching criteria may be used in combination of a plurality of those described above.

In the control flow of FIG. 3 (b), the second predetermined range of transmission power can be set arbitrarily.

For example, in order to prevent the received power from exceeding the upper limit of the first predetermined range, the upper limit of the second predetermined range is the maximum power supplied to the power receiving unit 31 at the upper limit of the first predetermined range. You may determine that the following electric power is supplied from the power transmission side. In this case, power that is lower than the transmitted power by the loss during transmission is supplied to the power receiving side, so that power that does not exceed the upper limit of the first predetermined range can be supplied to the power receiving unit.

In addition, before switching the control flow, the transmission power information when the received power is within the first predetermined range is retained, and the second predetermined range may be set according to the value. Good. In this case, if the change in efficiency is small, power close to the first predetermined range can be supplied to the power receiving unit.

Furthermore, for safety, the second predetermined range may be determined so that power sufficiently lower than the first predetermined range is supplied to the power receiving unit.

Alternatively, a threshold value for turning on the protection stop operation may be provided separately, and the upper limit value of the second predetermined range may be set so as to be a value lower than the threshold value.

Also, the lower limit value of the second predetermined range may be set to a sufficiently low value within a range where power transmission can be maintained.

Second embodiment

A second embodiment relating to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 shows a wireless power transmission apparatus provided with a control apparatus according to the second embodiment.

In the first embodiment, the power receiving unit and the control device are connected wirelessly, but in the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, the power receiving unit and the control device are connected by wire, and the power transmission unit 22 and the control device 41 are connected wirelessly. The power transmission unit 22 includes a wireless communication device 22, and the wireless communication device 22 wirelessly communicates with the wireless communication device 43 of the control device 41.

The control device 41 includes a calculation unit 42 and a wireless communication device 43. The wireless communication device 43 communicates with the wireless communication device 22 of the power transmission unit 21. The calculation unit 42 generates a power reception adjustment signal (impedance adjustment signal) that is a signal for adjusting the impedance of the load, and outputs the power reception adjustment signal to the power reception unit 31. As can be seen from Equation (1), the received power can be changed by changing the load impedance. For example, the received power adjustment signal may be changed so that the load resistance is large when the received power is increased, and the load resistance is decreased when the received power is decreased. However, this relationship can be reversed depending on the connection and coupling state between the coil and the capacitor.

Fig. 5 shows the control flow in the second embodiment. FIG. 5 (a) corresponds to FIG. 3 (a) and FIG. 5 (b) corresponds to FIG. 3 (b) in the first embodiment. The operation of these control flows is executed by the calculation unit 42.

In the control flow of FIG. 5 (a), the control device 41 first acquires received power information (step S31). If the received power is within the first predetermined range (YES in step S32), the process ends without doing anything. On the other hand, when the received power is outside the first predetermined range (NO in step S32), the power transmission adjustment signal is transmitted via wireless communication so that the received power is corrected in a direction approaching the first predetermined range. To change.

On the other hand, in the control flow of FIG. 5 (b), the control device 41 first acquires received power information (step S41). If the received power is within the second predetermined range (YES in step S42), the process ends without doing anything. On the other hand, when the received power is outside the second predetermined range (NO in step S42), the received power adjustment signal is changed so that the received power is corrected in a direction approaching the second predetermined range (step S43). ). In the operation of FIG. 5 (b), high-speed control is possible because wireless communication is not performed.

Note that the first predetermined range and the second predetermined range shown in the flow of FIG. 5 are particularly related to the first predetermined range and the second predetermined range used in the first embodiment. In each embodiment, the range value is determined independently. The same applies to other embodiments described below.

Here, FIG. 6 shows an example of a load including a device whose impedance can be changed. The configuration shown in FIG. 6 includes an AC-DC converter (rectifier) 104 and a DC-DC converter 103 in addition to a device 102 that consumes or stores electric power. In this case, the impedance can be adjusted by adjusting the voltage conversion ratio of the DC-DC converter 103 using the power reception adjustment signal.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 7, the AC-AC converter 106 and the AC-DC converter (rectifier) 105 are used, and the voltage conversion ratio of the AC-AC converter 106 can be changed according to the power reception adjustment signal. Good.

In addition, a variable capacitor and a variable inductance may be connected in series or in parallel, and the values of these variable elements may be adjusted by a power reception adjustment signal. Further, the impedance of the load may be changed by changing the power received by the device that consumes or stores the power. Alternatively, the equivalent impedance viewed from the power transmission side may be changed by changing the inductance, coupling coefficient, etc. of the coil 2 by changing the position of the coil 2, the amount of ferrite, and the like.

Third embodiment

The third embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 shows a wireless power transmission device including a control device according to the third embodiment.

In the second embodiment, the received power is controlled within a certain range both during normal control and during high-speed control.In the third embodiment, the transmitted power is controlled within a certain range during normal control. During high speed control, the received power is controlled within a certain range. In the present embodiment, transmission power information is input to the control device 61 via wireless communication.

FIG. 9 shows a control flow in the third embodiment. FIG. 5 (a) corresponds to FIG. 3 (a) in the case of the first embodiment, and FIG. 5 (b) corresponds to FIG. 3 (b). These control flows are executed by the calculation unit 42.

In the control flow of FIG. 9 (a), the control device 61 first acquires transmission power information (step S51). If the transmitted power is within the first predetermined range (YES in step S52), the process ends without doing anything. On the other hand, when the transmitted power is outside the first predetermined range (NO in step S52), the power transmission adjustment signal is transmitted via wireless communication so that the transmitted power is corrected in a direction approaching the first predetermined range. To change.

On the other hand, in the control flow of FIG. 9 (b), the control device 61 first acquires received power information (step S61). If the received power is within the second predetermined range (YES in step S62), the process ends without doing anything. On the other hand, when the received power is outside the second predetermined range (NO in step S62), the received power adjustment signal is changed so that the received power is corrected in a direction approaching the second predetermined range (step S63). ). In the operation of FIG. 9 (b), high-speed control is possible because wireless communication is not performed.

Fourth embodiment

The fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 shows a wireless power transmission device including a control device according to the fourth embodiment.

In the third embodiment, the transmission power is controlled by the transmission adjustment signal during normal control (see FIG. 9A), but in the fourth embodiment, the transmission power is adjusted by the power reception adjustment signal. During high speed control, the received power is controlled within a predetermined range using the received power adjustment signal.

FIG. 11 shows a control flow in the third embodiment. FIG. 11 (a) corresponds to FIG. 3 (a) and FIG. 11 (b) corresponds to FIG. 3 (b) in the case of the first embodiment. These control flows are executed by the calculation unit 42.

In the control flow of FIG. 11 (a), the control device 51 first acquires transmission power information via wireless communication (step S71). If the transmitted power is within the first predetermined range (YES in step S72), the process ends without doing anything. On the other hand, when the transmitted power is outside the first predetermined range (NO in step S72), the power reception adjustment signal is changed so that the transmitted power is corrected in a direction approaching the first predetermined range.

On the other hand, in the control flow of FIG. 11 (b), the control device 51 first acquires received power information (step S81). If the received power is within the second predetermined range (YES in step S82), the process ends without doing anything. On the other hand, when the received power is outside the second predetermined range (NO in step S82), the received power adjustment signal is changed so that the received power is corrected in a direction approaching the second predetermined range (step S83). ). In the operation of FIG. 11 (b), since wireless communication is not performed, high-speed control is possible.

Fifth embodiment

The fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 shows a wireless power transmission device including a control device according to the fifth embodiment.

In the fifth embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the control device 71 is connected to the power receiving unit 31 via wireless communication, and is connected to the power transmission unit 21 by wire. During normal control, the received power is adjusted to a predetermined range by the received power adjustment signal. During high-speed control, the transmission power is controlled within a predetermined range using the transmission adjustment signal.

FIG. 13 shows a control flow in the fifth embodiment. FIG. 13 (a) corresponds to FIG. 3 (a) and FIG. 13 (b) corresponds to FIG. 3 (b) in the case of the first embodiment. These control flows are executed by the calculation unit 12.

In the control flow of FIG. 13 (a), the control device 71 first acquires received power information via wireless communication (step S91). If the received power is within the first predetermined range (YES in step S92), the process ends without doing anything. On the other hand, if the received power is outside the first predetermined range (NO in step S92), the power reception adjustment signal is transmitted via wireless communication so that the received power is corrected in a direction approaching the first predetermined range. To change.

On the other hand, in the control flow of FIG. 13 (b), the control device 71 first acquires transmission power information (step S101). If the transmitted power is within the second predetermined range (YES in step S102), the process ends without doing anything. On the other hand, when the transmitted power is outside the second predetermined range (NO in step S102), the transmission adjustment signal is changed so that the transmitted power is corrected in a direction approaching the second predetermined range (step S103). ). In the operation of FIG. 13 (b), high-speed control is possible because wireless communication is not performed.

Sixth embodiment

The sixth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 shows a wireless power transmission device including a control device according to the sixth embodiment. The control device 81 is connected to the power transmission unit 21 by wire and is connected to the power reception unit 31 wirelessly.

In the fifth embodiment, during normal control, the received power is controlled within a predetermined range by the power reception adjustment signal, but in this embodiment, the transmitted power is controlled within the predetermined range by the power reception adjustment signal. During high-speed control, transmission power is controlled within a predetermined range by a transmission adjustment signal.

FIG. 15 shows a control flow in the fifth embodiment. FIG. 15 (a) corresponds to FIG. 3 (a) in the case of the first embodiment, and FIG. 15 (b) corresponds to FIG. 3 (b). These control flows are executed by the calculation unit 12.

In the control flow of FIG. 15 (a), the control device 81 first acquires transmission power information (step S111). If the transmitted power is within the first predetermined range (YES in step S112), the process ends without doing anything. On the other hand, when the transmitted power is outside the first predetermined range (NO in step S112), the power reception adjustment signal is transmitted via wireless communication so that the transmitted power is corrected in a direction approaching the first predetermined range. To change.

On the other hand, in the control flow of FIG. 15 (b), the control device 71 first acquires transmission power information (step S121). If the transmitted power is within the second predetermined range (YES in step S122), the process ends without doing anything. On the other hand, when the transmitted power is outside the second predetermined range (NO in step S122), the transmission adjustment signal is changed so that the transmitted power is corrected in a direction approaching the second predetermined range (step S123). ). In the operation of FIG. 15 (b), since wireless communication is not performed, high-speed control is possible.

Seventh embodiment

The seventh embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 16 shows a wireless power transmission device including a control device according to the seventh embodiment. The control device 11 is connected to the power transmission unit 21 by wire and is connected to the power reception unit 31 by radio.

The seventh embodiment includes a coil position detector 17 in addition to the first embodiment. The coil position detector 17 may be included in either the power transmission unit 21 or the power reception unit 31, and may be provided as a separate device. Further, the control device 11 and the coil position detector 17 may be connected by any method, for example, wireless connection or wired connection.

In the seventh embodiment, the switching of the control flow in FIG. 3 (a) and FIG. 3 (b) is performed according to the output of the coil position detector 17.

For example, when the coil position of at least one of the coils 1 and 2 moves from a predetermined relative position by a certain amount or when displacement occurs at a certain speed or more, the control flow is shown in FIG. 3 (a). Switch to 3 (b). On the other hand, when the displacement of the coil position becomes a certain amount or less, or when the speed becomes a certain value or less, the control flow is switched from FIG. 3 (b) to FIG. 3 (a). According to this embodiment, when there is a possibility that the electric power largely fluctuates due to fluctuations in the coil position, it is possible to switch to a high-speed control operation.

Eighth embodiment

The eighth embodiment will be described. In the eighth embodiment, a transmission efficiency adjustment operation is added to the control flow operation during normal control in the fifth embodiment. Thereby, in the operation | movement at the time of normal control, adjustment of both transmission efficiency and electric power (transmitted power, received electric power) is attained. On the other hand, when a high-speed control operation is required, a high-speed control operation is realized by using a control flow that adjusts only the transmission power.

An example of the configuration of the apparatus according to the eighth embodiment is the same as that shown in FIG. FIG. 17 shows an example of a flowchart according to the eighth embodiment. Since the control flow in FIG. 17B during high-speed control is the same as that in FIG. 13B, the description thereof will be omitted, and only the control flow in FIG. 17A will be described here.

In FIG. 17A showing the control flow during normal control, transmission power information is acquired (step S131), received power information is acquired via wireless communication (step S132), and transmission efficiency is calculated (step S133). ).

It is determined whether or not the transmission efficiency is greater than a predetermined value (step S134). If the transmission efficiency is equal to or less than the predetermined value, the power reception adjustment signal is changed so that the transmission efficiency is improved via wireless communication (step S134). S137).

When the transmission efficiency is larger than a predetermined value, it is determined whether the received power is in the first predetermined range. When the received power is not in the first predetermined range, the received power adjustment signal is changed so that the received power is corrected in a direction approaching the first predetermined range.

In addition, although the means for adjusting the transmission efficiency is shown here using the transmission efficiency itself as an index, the index may not be the transmission efficiency itself. For example, loss may be used as an index. Furthermore, for example, a ratio or difference between voltages at arbitrary points on the power transmission side and the power reception side correlated with the transmission efficiency may be obtained as an estimated value of the transmission efficiency and used as an index.

As a method of increasing / decreasing the adjustment signal when adjusting the transmission efficiency, if the increase / decrease direction of the adjustment signal for adjusting the transmission efficiency is known, the adjustment signal may be increased / decreased accordingly. If the change direction of the adjustment signal that improves the transmission efficiency is unknown, for example, the direction to be changed may be determined by sweeping a certain range. Further, a point where the transmission efficiency is maximized by sweeping may be searched.

In the control flow of FIG. 17A, the received power is determined after determining the transmission efficiency, but this order may be reversed. Further, the determination of whether or not the first predetermined range may be performed may be divided. For example, the transmission efficiency may be determined after determining the upper limit of power, and then the lower limit of power may be determined. The determination of the transmission efficiency may also be made based on whether or not it is within a predetermined range, not whether or not it is less than a predetermined value.

Ninth embodiment

FIG. 18 shows the configuration of the wireless power transmission apparatus according to the ninth embodiment. In the previous embodiments, there was one control device, but in the ninth embodiment, two control devices are provided. The two control devices include a control device 201 connected to the power receiving unit 31 and a control device 202 connected to the power transmission unit 21. FIG. 18 shows an example in which the configuration of FIG. 1 is modified to the configuration of two control devices.

The control device 201 on the power receiving side includes a calculation unit 211 and a wireless communication device 221. The power transmission side control device 202 includes a calculation unit 212 and a wireless communication device 222. The power transmission side control device 201 and the power reception side control device 202 are wirelessly connected by

wireless communication devices

221 and 222.

FIG. 19 shows an operation flow in this embodiment. FIG. 19 (a) shows the operation of the control device 201 on the power receiving side, and FIG. 19 (b) shows the operation of the control device 202 on the power transmission side.

As shown in FIG. 19 (a), during normal control, the calculation unit 211 of the control device 201 on the power receiving side acquires received power information (step S141), and determines whether the received power is within a first predetermined range. (Step S142). If the received power is not within the first predetermined range, an instruction to change the power transmission adjustment signal is sent via wireless communication so that the received power is corrected in a direction approaching the first predetermined range. The control device 202 is notified (step S143). The change instruction may include designation of the adjustment amount of the power transmission adjustment signal. The control device 202 on the power transmission side changes and transmits the power transmission adjustment signal according to the adjustment amount designated from the power reception side. If the adjustment amount specification is not included, the power transmission side may change the amount specified in advance.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 19 (b), during high-speed control, the calculation unit 212 of the control device 202 on the power transmission side acquires transmission power information (step S151), and the transmission power is within the second predetermined range. Is determined (step S152). If the transmitted power is not within the second predetermined range, the power transmission adjustment signal is changed so that the transmitted power is corrected in a direction approaching the second predetermined range (step S153).

Thus, during normal control, the power transmission adjustment signal is determined to be changed on the power receiving side, and control is performed by notifying the power transmission side. On the other hand, at the time of high-speed control, high-speed control is realized by determining the change of the power transmission adjustment signal on the power transmission side and changing the transmission power.

Similarly, any configuration of the second to sixth embodiments can be modified to a configuration using two control devices as in the present embodiment.

For example, FIG. 20 shows an example in which two control devices are used in the third embodiment shown in FIG. Control devices 231 and 232 are arranged on the power reception side and the power transmission side, respectively. The power receiving side control device 231 includes a calculation unit 241 and a wireless communication device 251, and the power transmission side control device 232 includes a calculation unit 242 and a wireless communication device 252.

FIG. 21 shows a control flow when the eighth embodiment is further combined with the configuration shown in FIG. FIG. 21A shows the operation of the control device 231 on the power receiving side, and FIG. 21B shows the operation of the control device 232 on the power transmission side.

As shown in FIG. 21 (a), during normal control, the calculation unit 241 of the control device 231 on the power receiving side acquires transmission power information (step S161), acquires received power information (step S162), and transmits. Efficiency is calculated (step S163). It is determined whether the transmission efficiency is equal to or lower than a predetermined value (step S164). If the transmission efficiency is equal to or lower than the predetermined value, the calculation unit 241 changes the power reception adjustment signal so that the transmission efficiency is improved (step S167). On the other hand, if the transmission efficiency is greater than a predetermined value, it is determined whether the received power is within the first predetermined range. If the transmission efficiency is not within the first predetermined range, the received power approaches the first predetermined range. The power transmission adjustment signal change instruction is notified to the power transmission-side control device 232 (step S166). The change instruction may include designation of the adjustment amount of the power transmission adjustment signal. The control device 232 on the power transmission side changes the power transmission adjustment signal according to the adjustment amount specified from the power reception side. If the adjustment amount designation is not included, the power transmission adjustment signal may be changed by a predetermined amount.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 21 (b), during high-speed control, the calculation unit 242 of the control device 232 on the power transmission side acquires transmission power information (step S171), and the transmission power is within the second predetermined range. Is determined (step S172). If the transmitted power is not within the second predetermined range, the transmission adjustment signal is changed so that the transmitted power is corrected in a direction approaching the second predetermined range.

Note that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment as it is, and can be embodied by modifying constituent elements without departing from the scope of the invention in the implementation stage. In addition, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of components disclosed in the embodiment. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiment. Furthermore, constituent elements over different embodiments may be appropriately combined.

Claims

An information acquisition unit that executes at least one of an acquisition process of transmission power information from a power transmission unit and an acquisition process of received power information from a power reception unit that receives power transmitted from the power transmission unit;
The power transmission adjustment process of the power transmission unit according to the transmission power information, the impedance adjustment process of the power reception unit according to the transmission power information, the power transmission adjustment process of the power transmission unit according to the received power information, and the power reception A plurality of processes can be executed among the impedance adjustment processes of the power receiving unit according to power information, and one of the plurality of processes is switched and selected based on a predetermined condition, and the selected process is executed. A control unit;
A control device comprising:
The information acquisition unit can execute at least one of an operation of acquiring the transmitted power information via first communication and an operation of acquiring the received power information via second communication,
The control unit is capable of executing at least one of an operation of performing power transmission adjustment of the power transmission unit via third communication and an operation of adjusting impedance of the power receiving unit via fourth communication,
And at least three operations among the operations through the first to fourth communications can be executed,
When both the operation via the first communication and the operation via the second communication can be performed, the first communication has a smaller delay than the second communication and the third communication When the operation via the fourth communication and the operation via the fourth communication are both executable, the third communication has a smaller delay than the fourth communication.
Alternatively, when both the operation via the first communication and the operation via the second communication can be executed, the second communication has a smaller delay than the first communication, and the first communication When the operation through the communication 3 and the operation through the fourth communication are both executable, the fourth communication has a smaller delay than the third communication.
The control device according to claim 1.
When both the operation through the first communication and the operation through the second communication can be executed, the first communication is wired communication, the second communication is wireless communication, and the first communication 3, the third communication is wired communication, and the fourth communication is wireless communication, when both the operation through communication 3 and the operation through the fourth communication can be executed.
Or
When both the operation through the first communication and the operation through the second communication are executable, the first communication is wireless communication, the second communication is wired communication, and the first communication 3. The third communication is wireless communication and the fourth communication is wired communication when both of the operation through communication 3 and the operation through the fourth communication can be executed. Control device.
The control device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit selects one of the plurality of processes according to whether or not each communication used in the at least three executable operations is interrupted.
The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit selects one of the plurality of processes according to at least one of the transmitted power information and the received power information.
The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit selects one of the plurality of processes according to a change amount per unit time of at least one of the transmitted power information and the received power information.
According to the transmitted power information and the received power information, the power transmission efficiency from the power transmission unit to the power receiving unit is estimated,
The control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit selects one of the plurality of processes using the estimated power transmission efficiency.
When the one of the two impedance adjustment processes is switched to one of the two power transmission adjustment processes, the control unit transmits power of the power transmission unit so that the power is equal to or lower than the transmission power before switching. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the power is adjusted.
The control unit executes the selected process so that the transmission power information is corrected in a direction approaching the first threshold when the transmission power information exceeds a first threshold.
The control device according to claim 1, wherein the selected process is executed so that the transmitted power information is corrected in a direction approaching the second threshold when the transmitted power information is less than a second threshold.
The control unit executes the selected process so that the received power information is corrected in a direction approaching the third threshold when the received power information exceeds a third threshold.
Or
The control device according to claim 1, wherein when the received power information is lower than a fourth threshold, the selected process is executed so that the received power information is corrected in a direction approaching the fourth threshold.
Information acquisition for executing at least one of acquisition processing of transmission power information of the power transmission unit from the control device of the power transmission unit and acquisition processing of received power information from the power reception unit that receives power transmitted from the power transmission unit And
An instruction process for instructing the control device of the power transmission unit to perform power transmission adjustment according to the transmitted power information, an impedance adjustment process of the power receiving unit according to the transmitted power information, and a response according to the received power information It is possible to execute a plurality of processes among an instruction process for instructing a power transmission adjustment of the power transmission unit to a control device of the power transmission unit and an impedance adjustment process of the power reception unit according to the received power information, and a predetermined condition A control unit that switches and selects one of the plurality of processes based on the selected process, and executes the selected process;
A control device comprising:
An information acquisition unit that executes one of an acquisition process of transmission power information from a power transmission unit and an acquisition process of received power information of the power reception unit from a control device of the power reception unit that receives power transmitted from the power transmission unit When,
Power transmission adjustment processing of the power transmission unit according to the power transmission power information, instruction processing for instructing the control device of the power reception unit to adjust impedance of the power reception unit according to the power transmission power information, and according to the power reception power information A plurality of processes can be executed among a power transmission adjustment process of the power transmission unit and an instruction process for instructing a control device of the power reception unit to adjust the impedance of the power reception unit according to the received power information, and a predetermined condition A control unit that switches and selects one of the plurality of processes based on the control unit and executes the selected process.
A power transmission unit that wirelessly transmits power to the power reception unit;
A wireless power transmission device comprising: the control device according to claim 1.
A power receiving unit that receives power wirelessly transmitted from the power transmission unit;
A wireless power transmission device comprising: the control device according to claim 1.
An information acquisition step of executing at least one of acquisition processing of transmission power information from the power transmission unit and acquisition processing of received power information from the power reception unit;
The power transmission adjustment process of the power transmission unit according to the transmission power information, the impedance adjustment process of the power reception unit according to the transmission power information, the power transmission adjustment process of the power transmission unit according to the received power information, and the power reception A plurality of processes can be executed among the impedance adjustment processes of the power receiving unit according to power information, and one of the plurality of processes is switched and selected based on a predetermined condition, and the selected process is executed. Control steps;
Control method with.