WO2023085048A1

WO2023085048A1 - Power transmission device, power reception device, control method, and program

Info

Publication number: WO2023085048A1
Application number: PCT/JP2022/039324
Authority: WO
Inventors: 隆広七野
Original assignee: キヤノン株式会社
Priority date: 2021-11-09
Filing date: 2022-10-21
Publication date: 2023-05-19
Also published as: JP2023070481A

Abstract

A power transmission device 101 comprises: a power transmission unit 203 that wirelessly transmits power to a power receiving device 102 via a power transmission antenna 205; and a second communication unit 207 that transmits and receives control data for controlling wireless power transmission to and from the power receiving device 102 via an antenna different from the power transmission antenna 205. When the second communication unit 207 receives a reception signal, including a plurality of pieces of control data and requiring a response, from the power receiving device 102, the second communication unit 207 transmits a response signal in which a plurality of pieces of response data to the plurality of pieces of control data requiring a response are stored in an order corresponding to the order of the plurality of pieces of control data stored in the reception signal.

Description

Power transmitting device, power receiving device, control method and program

The present disclosure relates to wireless power transmission technology.

In recent years, technological development of wireless power transmission systems has been widely carried out. Patent Literature 1 discloses a power transmitting device and a power receiving device conforming to the standard established by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) standardization body (hereinafter referred to as "WPC standard"). The power transmitted wirelessly varies depending on the state of the power receiving device, the positional relationship between the power transmitting device and the power receiving device, and the like. According to the WPC standard, a control error (hereinafter referred to as "CE") packet is transmitted from a power receiving device to a power transmitting device, and the power transmitting device adjusts power to be transmitted based on the CE packet. The power receiving device transmits a CE packet at a predetermined timing, so that the power transmitting device can control the power to be transmitted substantially in real time.

On the other hand, Patent Document 2 discloses a communication method in which a power transmitting device or a power receiving device performs communication using an antenna different from the antenna used for wireless power transmission and using a frequency different from that used for wireless power transmission. . Patent Document 2 mentions Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy (hereinafter referred to as "BLE") communication as one of the communication methods. In BLE communication, an antenna used for wireless power transmission can transmit more information at a higher speed than when communication using the same frequency as that used for wireless power transmission is used.

JP 2016-007116 A JP 2019-187070 A

Patent Document 1 does not specifically propose how to transmit and receive control data to be used for controlling wireless power transmission, such as CE packets, in BLE communication used for wireless power transmission.

　BLE communication is a communication method in which communication is performed intermittently at predetermined time intervals, and there are restrictions on the time during which communication is possible. Therefore, it is conceivable that a single signal used in BLE communication includes a plurality of pieces of control data defined by the WPC standard for communication. For example, when the power receiving device transmits a single signal including a plurality of pieces of control data for use in BLE communication, the power transmitting device also stores a plurality of response data for each of the plurality of control data in a single signal and performs BLE communication. It is conceivable to send by However, depending on how multiple pieces of response data are stored in one signal, the power receiving device may not be able to properly determine which response packet is a response to which control data. This problem is not limited to BLE communication, and is considered to occur similarly in other communication schemes.

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a technique for appropriately controlling wireless power transmission when performing communication for controlling wireless power transmission using an antenna different from the antenna used for wireless power transmission.

A power transmitting device according to an aspect of the present disclosure includes power transmitting means for wirelessly transmitting power to a power receiving device via a first antenna, and wireless power transmission with the power receiving device via a second antenna different from the first antenna. communication means for communicating using a signal capable of storing a plurality of control data to be controlled; The communication means is controlled so that a plurality of response packets for a plurality of control data requiring responses are stored in an order corresponding to the order of the plurality of control data stored in the received signal. and a control means.

According to the present disclosure, when performing communication for controlling wireless power transmission using an antenna different from the antenna used for wireless power transmission, it is possible to appropriately control wireless power transmission.

It is a figure which shows the structure of a wireless power transmission system. It is a figure which shows the structure of a power transmission apparatus. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of a power receiving device; FIG. 4 is a flowchart of processing in the power transmission device; 4 is a flowchart of processing in the power receiving device; FIG. 10 is a flowchart of transmission processing for one BLE Connection Interval; FIG. FIG. 10 is a flowchart of reception processing for one BLE Connection Interval; FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between BLE packets and Qi packets; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the operation of the system; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a communication sequence in the I&C phase; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a communication sequence in the Negotiation phase; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a communication sequence in the Power Transfer phase; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the format of a response packet; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the format of a response packet; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the format of a response packet; FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the format of a response packet; 4 is a flowchart of processing performed by the power transmission device according to the first embodiment; 4 is a flowchart of processing performed by the power receiving device according to the first embodiment; 9 is a flowchart of processing performed by a power transmission device according to a second embodiment; 9 is a flowchart of processing performed by a power receiving device according to the second embodiment; 9 is a flowchart of processing performed by a power receiving device according to a third embodiment;

<First embodiment>
Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments are merely examples for explaining the technical idea of the present disclosure, and are not intended to limit the present disclosure to the configurations and methods described in the embodiments. Although multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of these multiple features are essential to the present disclosure, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to refer to the same or similar components.

(System configuration)
FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a wireless power transmission system according to this embodiment. In one example, the system includes a power transmission device 101 and a power reception device 102 . Hereinafter, the power transmitting device 101 may be referred to as TX, and the power receiving device 102 may be referred to as RX. The RX 102 is an electronic device that receives power from the TX 101 and charges an internal battery. The TX 101 is an electronic device that wirelessly transmits power to the RX 102 placed on the charging stand 103 . It should be noted that RX 102 and TX 101 may have functions for executing applications other than wireless charging. An example of the RX 102 is a smart phone, and an example of the power transmission device 101 is an accessory device for charging the smart phone. The RX 102 and TX 101 may be a tablet, a storage device such as a hard disk device or a memory device, or an information processing device such as a personal computer (PC). Also, the RX 102 and TX 101 may be, for example, imaging devices (cameras, video cameras, etc.), automobiles, robots, medical equipment, and printers. RX 102 may also be an electric vehicle. Also, the TX 101 may be a charger installed in a console or the like in the vehicle, or may be a charging device for charging an electric vehicle. Also, the RX 102 may not have a built-in battery.

It should be noted that the RX 102 and TX 101 each have a communication function based on BLE (Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy). Specifically, the RX 102 and TX 101 communicate based on Bluetooth 4.0 and later standards. Detailed configurations of the TX 101 and RX 102 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. In addition, hereinafter, the standards defined for Bluetooth 4.0 and later, which are defined for BLE, are referred to as BLE standards. Note that BLE is an intermittent communication method. Here, in the intermittent communication method, the communication unit (control IC for BLE communication) is intermittently driven (activated), communication is performed only during driving, and the communication unit (control IC for BLE communication) ) is turned off or placed in a low power consumption state. This achieves a reduction in power consumption. Also, the RX 102 and TX 101 may have a communication function conforming to the Zigbee (registered trademark) standard. That is, in the present disclosure, Zigbee-compliant communication may be used instead of BLE. Furthermore, the RX 102 and TX 101 may communicate in accordance with other communication schemes.

This system shall perform wireless power transmission using an electromagnetic induction method for wireless power transmission based on the WPC standard stipulated by the WPC (Wireless Power Consortium). That is, TX 101 and RX 102 perform wireless power transmission for wireless power transmission based on the WPC standard between the power transmitting antenna of TX 101 and the power receiving antenna of RX 102 . The wireless power transmission method is not limited to the method specified by the WPC standard, and may be another electromagnetic induction method, magnetic field resonance method, electric field resonance method, microwave method, laser method, or the like. Also, in the present embodiment, wireless power transmission is used for contactless charging, but wireless power transmission may be used for purposes other than contactless charging.

In the WPC standard, the amount of power that a power receiving device is guaranteed to be able to output to a load (for example, charging circuit, battery, etc.) is defined by a value called Guaranteed Power (hereinafter referred to as "GP"). Defined. For example, even if the positional relationship between the power receiving device and the power transmitting device fluctuates and the power transmission efficiency between the power receiving antenna and the power transmitting antenna decreases, the GP can prevent the load (eg, charging circuit, battery, etc.) of the power receiving device. Indicates the power value for which the output is guaranteed. For example, if the GP is 5 watts, even if the positional relationship between the power receiving antenna and the power transmitting antenna fluctuates and the power transmission efficiency drops, the power transmitting device controls so that it can output 5 watts to the load inside the power receiving device. power transmission. Also, the GP is determined by negotiation between the power transmitting device and the power receiving device. Note that this embodiment is applicable not only to the GP, but also to a configuration in which power is transmitted and received with power determined by mutual negotiation between the power transmitting device and the power receiving device.

The TX 101 and RX 102 according to this embodiment perform communication for power transmission control based on the WPC standard. The WPC standard defines multiple phases, including a Power Transfer phase in which power transfer is performed and a phase before the actual power transfer is performed. In each phase, necessary communication for power transmission control is performed. . The phases before power transmission include a Selection phase, a Ping phase, an Identification and Configuration phase, a Negotiation phase, and a Calibration phase. Note that the Identification and Configuration phase is hereinafter referred to as the I&C phase.

In the Selection phase, the power transmission device intermittently transmits Analog Ping to detect that an object has been placed on the power transmission device (for example, the power reception device or conductor piece has been placed on the charging base). The power transmission device detects at least one of the voltage value and current value of the power transmission antenna when the Analog Ping is transmitted, and if the voltage value is below a certain threshold or the current value is above a certain threshold, it is determined that an object exists. It makes a decision and transitions to the Ping phase.

In the Ping phase, the power transmission device transmits a Digital Ping with higher power than the Analog Ping. The power of the Digital Ping is sufficient to activate the control unit of the power receiving device placed on the power transmitting device. In other words, Digital Ping is power transmitted from the power transmitting device to activate the power receiving device. The power receiving device notifies the power transmitting device of the magnitude of the received voltage. This notification is made using the Signal Strength Packet defined in the WPC standard. Thus, the power transmitting device recognizes that the object detected in the Selection phase is the power receiving device by receiving a response from the power receiving device that received the Digital Ping. The power transmitting device transitions to the I&C phase upon receiving the notification of the received power voltage value. Also, the power transmission device measures the Q-factor of the power transmission antenna before transmitting the Digital Ping. This measurement result is used when executing foreign matter detection processing using the Q value measurement method. A foreign object in the present disclosure is, for example, a clip, an IC card, or the like. Powered devices and objects that are integral parts of products that incorporate powered devices or products that incorporate powered devices and powered devices that unintentionally generate heat when exposed to wireless power transmitted by transmitting antennas Objects that may do so will not hit the foreign object.

In the I&C phase, the power transmitting device identifies the power receiving device and acquires device configuration information (capability information) from the power receiving device. The power receiving device transmits an ID Packet and a Configuration Packet. The ID Packet contains the identifier information of the power receiving device, and the Configuration Packet contains the equipment configuration information (capability information) of the power receiving device. The power transmitting device that has received the ID Packet and Configuration Packet responds with an acknowledgment (ACK). Then the I&C phase ends.

In the Negotiation phase, the GP value is determined based on the GP value requested by the power receiving device and the power transmission capability of the power transmitting device. In addition, the power transmitting device executes foreign object detection processing using the Q-value measurement method in accordance with a request from the power receiving device. In addition, the WPC standard defines a method of once shifting to the Power Transfer phase and then performing the same processing as in the Negotiation phase again according to a request from the power receiving device. The phase that moves from the Power Transfer phase and performs these processes is called the Renegotiation phase.

In the calibration phase, calibration is performed based on WPC standards. In addition, the power receiving device notifies the power transmitting device of a predetermined received power value (the received power value in the light load state/the received power value in the maximum load state), and the power transmitting device performs adjustment for efficient power transmission. The received power value notified to the power transmission device can be used for foreign object detection processing by the Power Loss method.

In the Power Transfer phase, control is performed to start and continue power transmission, and to stop power transmission due to an error or full charge. In the Power Transfer phase, while performing real-time control of transmitted power, control is performed for notifying the state of charge and stopping power transmission due to full charge. Here, real-time control refers to control with high immediacy. In the Power Transfer phase, transmitted power is immediately controlled according to a request from the power receiving device. This enables the power receiving device to appropriately control the output to the battery, for example. Note that real-time control does not have to be control at exactly the same timing. In other words, the transmitted power may be controlled simultaneously with the request from the power receiving device, or the transmitted power may be controlled within a relatively short period of time in response to the request from the power receiving device.

In this embodiment, the TX 101 and RX 102 perform a series of communications for power transmission control by switching between in-band communication and out-of-band communication. . In-band communication is communication in which a signal is superimposed on power via an antenna (coil) used for power transmission and reception. Between the TX 101 and the RX 102, the range in which in-band communication based on the WPC standard is possible is almost the same as the power transmission possible range (active area). Out-of-band communication is communication using a frequency different from the frequency used for power transmission/reception via an antenna different from the antenna used for power transmission/reception. A communication method used in outband communication is BLE communication. The TX 101 operates as a BLE Central device, and the RX 102 operates as a BLE Peripheral device. Note that the BLE role may be reversed. Also, the communication method used for out-of-band communication may be Wi-Fi (registered trademark) standardized by the IEEE 802.11 series, ZigBee, NFC (Near Field Communication), or other communication methods.

(Device configuration)
Next, configurations of the power transmitting device (TX) 101 and the power receiving device (RX) 102 according to this embodiment will be described. It should be noted that the configuration described below is merely an example, and part (or in some cases, all) of the configuration described may be replaced with another configuration that performs a similar function, or may be omitted. It may be added to the configuration described. Furthermore, one block shown in the following description may be divided into multiple blocks, or multiple blocks may be integrated into one block.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the TX 101 according to this embodiment. In one example, the TX 101 includes a control unit 201, a power supply unit 202, a power transmission unit 203, a detection unit 204, a power transmission antenna 205, a first communication unit 206, a second communication unit 207, a display unit 208, an operation unit 209, a memory 210, and , and a timer 211 .

The control unit 201 controls the entire TX 101 by executing a control program stored in the memory 210, for example. In one example, the control unit 201 performs control necessary for power transmission in the TX 101 . The control unit 201 may perform control for executing applications other than wireless power transmission. The control unit 201 includes one or more processors such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and an MPU (Micro Processing Unit). Note that the control unit 201 may be configured by hardware such as an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). Also, the control unit 201 may be configured to include an array circuit such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) compiled to execute predetermined processing. The control unit 201 causes the memory 210 to store information that should be stored during execution of various processes. Also, the control unit 201 can measure time using a timer 211 .

The power supply unit 202 is a power supply that supplies power when at least the control unit 201 and the power transmission unit 203 operate. The power supply unit 202 can be, for example, a wired power receiving circuit, a battery, or the like that receives power from a commercial power supply. The battery stores electric power supplied from a commercial power source.

The power transmission unit 203 converts the DC or AC power input from the power supply unit 202 into AC frequency power in the frequency band used for wireless power transmission, and inputs the AC frequency power to the power transmission antenna 205, whereby the RX 102 receives power. Generate electromagnetic waves to Note that the frequency of the AC power generated by the power transmission unit 203 is about several hundred kHz (eg, 110 kHz to 205 kHz), which is different from the BLE communication frequency (2.4 GHz) used in outband communication. Based on an instruction from the control unit 201 , the power transmission unit 203 inputs AC frequency power to the power transmission antenna 205 so that the power transmission antenna 205 outputs an electromagnetic wave for transmitting power to the RX 102 . Further, the power transmission unit 203 controls the intensity of the electromagnetic wave to be output by adjusting the voltage (transmission voltage) or current (transmission current) input to the power transmission antenna 205 . Increasing the transmission voltage or transmission current increases the intensity of the electromagnetic wave, and decreasing the transmission voltage or transmission current decreases the intensity of the electromagnetic wave. In addition, based on an instruction from the control unit 201, the power transmission unit 203 performs output control of AC frequency power so that power transmission from the power transmission antenna 205 is started or stopped.

Based on the WPC standard, the detection unit 204 detects whether an object is placed within the power transmission range. The detection unit 204 detects, for example, the voltage value or current value of the power transmission antenna 205 when the power transmission unit 203 transmits WPC standard Analog Ping through the power transmission antenna 205 . Then, the detection unit 204 can determine that an object exists within the power transmission range when the voltage is below a predetermined voltage value or when the current value is above a predetermined current value. It should be noted that whether this object is the RX 102 or another foreign object is determined when the first communication unit 206 subsequently receives a predetermined response to the Digital Ping transmitted by in-band communication, and the object is the RX 102 is determined to be

The first communication unit 206 communicates with the RX 102 in each phase of the WPC standard as described above through in-band communication. The first communication unit 206 modulates the electromagnetic waves output from the power transmission antenna 205 and transmits information to the RX 102 . The first communication unit 206 also acquires information transmitted by the RX 102 by demodulating the electromagnetic wave that is output from the power transmission antenna 205 and modulated by the RX 102 . That is, the communication performed by the first communication unit 206 is superimposed on the power transmission from the power transmission antenna 205 .

The second communication unit 207 communicates with the RX 102 in each phase of the WPC standard as described above through out-of-band communication. The second communication unit 207 has, for example, a modulation/demodulation circuit and communication protocol processing functions necessary for performing BLE communication.

The display unit 208 presents information to the user by any method such as visual, auditory, and tactile. The display unit 208 notifies the user of, for example, information indicating the state of the TX 101 and the state of the wireless power transmission system including the TX 101 and the RX 102 as shown in FIG. The display unit 208 includes, for example, a liquid crystal display, an LED display, an organic EL display, a speaker, a vibration generating circuit, and other notification devices.

The operation unit 209 has a reception function that receives operations on the TX 101 from the user. The operation unit 209 includes, for example, buttons, a keyboard, an audio input device such as a microphone, a motion detection device such as an acceleration sensor or a gyro sensor, or other input devices. A device such as a touch panel in which the display unit 208 and the operation unit 209 are integrated may be used. The memory 210 stores various information as described above. Note that the memory 210 may store information obtained by a functional unit different from the control unit 201 . The timer 211 measures time by, for example, a count-up timer that measures elapsed time from the start time, a count-down timer that counts down from a set time, or the like.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the RX 102 according to this embodiment. For example, the RX 102 includes a control unit 301, a battery 302, a power receiving unit 303, a detecting unit 304, a power receiving antenna 305, a first communication unit 306, a second communication unit 307, a display unit 308, an operation unit 309, a memory 310, a timer 311 , and a charging unit 312 .

The control unit 301 controls the entire RX 102 by executing a control program stored in the memory 310, for example. In one example, the control unit 301 performs control necessary for power reception in the RX 102 . The control unit 301 may perform control for executing applications other than wireless power transmission. The control unit 301 includes, for example, one or more processors such as CPU and MPU. Note that the control unit 301 may include hardware dedicated to specific processing such as an ASIC, or an array circuit such as an FPGA compiled to execute predetermined processing. The control unit 301 causes the memory 310 to store information that should be stored during execution of various processes. Also, the control unit 301 can measure time using a timer 311 .

The power receiving unit 303 acquires AC power generated by electromagnetic induction in the power receiving antenna 305 . Specifically, in the power receiving antenna 305, induced electromotive force is generated by the electromagnetic wave radiated from the power transmitting antenna 205 of the TX 101, and the power receiving unit 303 acquires the power generated in the power receiving antenna 305. Then, the power receiving unit 303 converts the AC power into DC power or AC power of a predetermined frequency, and outputs the power to the charging unit 312 that performs processing for charging the battery 302 . That is, the power receiving unit 303 supplies power to the load in the RX 102 . The GP described above is power guaranteed to be output from the power receiving unit 303 . Note that the battery 302 stores power received via the power receiving antenna 305 .

The detection unit 304 detects whether or not the RX 102 is placed within a range where power can be received from the TX 101 based on the WPC standard. The detection unit 304 detects, for example, the voltage value or current value of the power receiving antenna 305 when the power receiving unit 303 receives a WPC standard Digital Ping via the power receiving antenna 305 . For example, the detection unit 304 can determine that the RX 102 is placed within the transmittable range when the voltage is below a predetermined voltage threshold or when the current value is above a predetermined current threshold.

The first communication unit 306 communicates with the TX 101 in each phase of the WPC standard as described above by in-band communication. The first communication unit 306 acquires information transmitted from the TX 101 by demodulating the electromagnetic wave input from the power receiving antenna 305, load modulates the electromagnetic wave, and superimposes the information to be transmitted to the TX 101 on the electromagnetic wave. , TX101. That is, the communication performed by the first communication unit 306 is superimposed on the power transmission from the power transmission antenna 205 of the TX 101 .

The second communication unit 307 communicates with the TX 101 in each phase of the WPC standard as described above through out-of-band communication. The second communication unit 307 has, for example, a modulation/demodulation circuit and communication protocol processing functions necessary for performing BLE communication.

The display unit 308 presents information to the user by any method such as visual, auditory, and tactile. The display unit 308 notifies the user of, for example, the state of the RX 102 and the state of the wireless power transmission system including the TX 101 and the RX 102 as shown in FIG. The display unit 308 includes, for example, a liquid crystal display, an LED display, an organic EL display, a speaker, a vibration generating circuit, and other notification devices.

The operation unit 309 has a reception function that receives operations on the RX 102 from the user. The operation unit 309 includes, for example, buttons, a keyboard, a voice input device such as a microphone, a motion detection device such as an acceleration sensor or a gyro sensor, or other input devices. A device such as a touch panel in which the display unit 308 and the operation unit 309 are integrated may be used. The memory 310 stores various information as described above. Note that the memory 310 may store information obtained by a functional unit different from the control unit 301 . The timer 311 measures time by, for example, a count-up timer that measures elapsed time from the start time, a count-down timer that counts down from a set time, or the like.

(Processing flow)
Next, an example of the flow of power transmission/reception control processing executed by the TX 101 and RX 102 will be described.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of power transmission control processing executed by the TX 101. This processing can be realized by executing a program read from the memory 210 by the control unit 201 of the TX 101, for example. Note that at least part of the following procedures may be implemented by hardware. The hardware in this case can be realized by, for example, using a predetermined compiler to automatically generate a dedicated circuit using a gate array circuit such as FPGA from a program for realizing each processing step. In addition, this processing is performed in response to the TX 101 being powered on, in response to the user of the TX 101 inputting an instruction to start the wireless power transfer application, or in response to the TX 101 being connected to a commercial power source and supplying power. Depending on what is being received, it can be executed. Moreover, this process may be started by other triggers.

The TX 101 first executes processing specified as the Selection phase and Ping phase of the WPC standard, and waits for the RX 102 to be placed (S401). The TX 101 repeatedly and intermittently transmits the WPC standard Analog Ping to detect objects existing within the power transmission range. Then, when the TX 101 detects that an object exists within the transmittable range, it transmits a Digital Ping. Then, the TX 101 determines that the detected object is the RX 102 and that the RX 102 is placed on the charging base 103 when there is a predetermined response to the Digital Ping.

When the TX 101 detects that the RX 102 is placed, the TX 101 acquires identification information from the RX 102 through in-band communication in the I&C phase defined by the WPC standard (S402). FIG. 10A shows the communication flow of the I&C phase. In the I&C phase, RX 102 transmits an Identification Packet (ID Packet) to TX 101 (F1001). In addition to the Manufacturer Code and Basic Device ID, which are identification information for each individual RX 102, the ID Packet stores an information element that can specify the supported WPC standard version. RX 102 further transmits Configuration Packet to TX 101 (F1002). The Configuration Packet includes the Maximum Power Value, which specifies the maximum power that the RX 102 can supply to the load, and information indicating whether or not the WPC standard Negotiation function is provided. When TX 101 receives these packets, it transmits ACK (F1003) and the I&C phase ends. Note that the TX 101 may acquire the identification information of the RX 102 by a method other than WPC standard I&C phase communication. Also, the identification information for each individual RX 102 may be a Wireless Power ID. Furthermore, the identification information for each individual RX 102 is any other identification information that can identify the individual RX 102, such as a Bluetooth Address (hereinafter referred to as "BD_ADDR") unique to the second communication unit 307 of the RX 102. may BD_ADDR is an 8-byte address used in BLE. BD_ADDR is, for example, a public address defined by the BLE standard that indicates the manufacturer of the RX 102 and individual identification information of the BLE communication function (second communication unit 207). BD_ADDR may be a Random Address.

Next, the TX 101 determines whether out-band communication is possible with the RX 102 and BLE (S403). Specifically, the TX 101 waits for an advertising packet containing identification information of the RX 102 by BLE (using the second communication unit 207). For example, the TX 101 performs a BLE scanning operation and waits for an advertising packet containing information indicating that the identification information of the RX 102 is included and the identification information of the RX 102 . For example, setting the AD Type of the BLE standard advertising packet to a predetermined value indicates that this advertising packet contains the identification information of the RX 102 . Then, if the AD Type is the predetermined value, it is defined in advance that the AD Data contains the identification information of the RX 102 . By sharing this definition between TX 101 and RX 102, it is possible to wait for an advertising packet containing the above information. Here, the identification information of RX 102 is information for identifying each individual RX 102 . The identification information of this RX 102 is, for example, the Manufacturer Code and Basic Device ID defined by the WPC standard. Also, the identification information of RX 102 may be Wireless Power ID or BD_ADDR unique to second communication unit 307 of RX 102 . Note that when BD_ADDR is used as identification information for RX 102, the identification information is included in the header of the advertising packet instead of AD Data. If the TX 101 can receive an advertising packet containing the identification information of the RX 102 within a predetermined time, it determines that out-of-band communication is possible with the RX 102 through BLE. Otherwise, it is determined that out-of-band communication by RX 102 and BLE is impossible. It should be noted that it may be determined whether out-of-band communication is possible between the RX 102 and BLE using other methods. For example, information such as whether the RX 102 supports out-of-band communication and whether it is in a communicable state may be stored in the Configuration Packet. In this case, the TX 101 may determine whether out-of-band communication is possible with the RX 102 and BLE based on the relevant information elements in the Configuration Packet. As a result, when outband communication cannot be performed with the RX 102 using BLE, the time to wait for an advertising packet can be omitted, and power transmission to the power receiving apparatus can be started earlier.

When the TX 101 determines that outband communication is possible (YES in S403), it establishes a BLE connection with the RX 102, which is the source of the advertising packet (S404). TX 101 establishes a BLE connection with RX 102 by transmitting CONNECT_REQ, which is a connection request in the BLE standard, to BD_ADDR included in the header of the advertising packet from RX 102 . Subsequently, the TX 101 sets the Connection Interval, which is the intermittent communication interval of BLE, based on the request of the RX 102 (S405). This is done by receiving LL_CONNECTION_PARAM_REQ in the BLE standard from RX 102 and returning LL_CONNECTION_UPDATE_IND. The TX 101 performs subsequent communication with the RX 102 by outband communication using BLE. When the TX 101 determines that out-band communication with the RX 102 is impossible (NO in S403), it skips the processes of S404 and S405, and subsequent communication with the RX 102 is performed by in-band communication.

　The TX 101 then determines the GP through negotiation with the RX 102 based on the request of the RX 102 and the power transmission capability of its own device (S406). In S406, communication of the Negotiation phase of the WPC standard as shown in FIG. 10B is performed. First, RX 102 notifies the requested GP value by transmitting a Specific Request to TX 101 (F1011). The TX 101 determines whether or not to accept the request based on its own power transmission capability and other conditions, and transmits ACK to the RX 102 if accepted, or NACK if not accepted (F1012). The determined value of GP is the value requested by RX 102 when TX 101 accepts the request of RX 102, otherwise it is a predetermined value defined by the WPC standard (eg, 5 watts).

　The TX 101 then performs the calibration phase process of the WPC standard (S407). The calibration phase processing is preliminary measurement for accurately detecting a foreign object between the TX 101 and the RX 102, but since it is the same as the conventional technology, detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

After that, the TX 101 transmits power until the RX 102 is fully charged (S408). In S408, communication of the Power Transfer phase of the WPC standard as shown in FIG. 10C is performed. RX 102 repeatedly transmits Control Error packets (hereinafter referred to as "CE packets") (F1021) to TX 101 at time intervals of t_interval. t_interval is a value defined by the WPC standard and is, for example, 250 milliseconds. The CE packet contains a request for how much to raise or lower the transmission power. The TX 101 adjusts transmission power by controlling the current or voltage of the transmission antenna 205 based on the received CE packet. That is, the CE packet is a parameter for adjusting transmission power. By repeating this process, power transmission with appropriate power according to the request of the RX 102 is performed almost in real time.

When the RX 102 is fully charged, it transmits an End Power Transfer packet (hereinafter referred to as "EPT packet") (F1022) to end the Power Transfer phase. RX 102 may transmit EPT packets for reasons other than full charge. Also, when the Power Transfer phase ends, the TX 101 stops power transmission for charging the RX 102 .

Also, if the TX 101 cannot receive the next CE packet even after t_timeout has passed since the last CE packet was received, the TX 101 determines that the RX 102 has been removed from the charging stand 103 and terminates the Power Transfer phase. do. t_timeout is a value defined by the WPC standard, for example 1500 milliseconds.

Note that the RX 102 may transmit packets (F1023) other than the CE packet during the Power Transfer phase. An example of a packet other than the CE packet is a Charge Status packet that notifies the TX 101 of the state of the battery 302 of the RX 102 . The Charge Status packet stores a Charge Status Value that indicates what percentage of the battery 302 has been charged. Upon receiving the Charge Status packet, the TX 101 may notify the user of the charge status by, for example, displaying text or a diagram on the display unit 208 based on the Charge Status Value. Regarding the Charge Status packet, the TX 101 may receive it at any time and notify the user at any time.

After the Power Transfer phase ends, the TX 101 disconnects the BLE connection with the RX 102 in S403 if it is connected, and ends the process (YES in S409, S410). Although the TX 101 may continue communication with the RX 102 after S410, in-band communication is performed in that case.

Next, an example of the flow of power reception control processing executed by the RX 102 will be described using FIG. This processing can be realized by executing a program read from the memory 310 by the control unit 301 of the RX 102, for example. Note that at least part of the following procedures may be implemented by hardware. The hardware in this case can be realized by, for example, using a predetermined compiler to automatically generate a dedicated circuit using a gate array circuit such as FPGA from a program for realizing each processing step.

After starting the power reception control process, the RX 102 executes processes defined as the Selection phase and Ping phase of the WPC standard, and waits for its own device to be placed on the TX 101 (S501). RX 102 detects that it is placed on TX 101 by detecting Digital Ping from TX 101, for example.

When the RX 102 detects that its own device is placed on the TX 101, it transmits information including the identification information of its own device to the TX 101 by in-band communication using the ID Packet and Configuration Packet described using FIG. ). Note that the identification information of the RX 102 may be transmitted by a method other than communication in the I&C phase of the WPC standard, and other identification information such as BD_ADDR may be used as long as it is information that can identify each individual RX 102. may Also, the RX 102 may transmit information other than the identification information to the TX 101 in S502.

Next, the RX 102 determines whether out-band communication is possible with the TX 101 and BLE (S503). Specifically, the RX 102 repeatedly transmits an advertising packet including identification information of its own device via BLE (using the second communication unit 307 ), and waits for CONNECT_REQ of BLE from the TX 101 . For example, the RX 102 can indicate that this advertising packet contains the identification information of the RX 102 by setting the AD Type of the BLE advertising packet to a predetermined value. The identification information of the RX 102 is, for example, the Manufacturer Code and Basic Device ID defined by the WPC standard. Also, the identification information of RX 102 may be Wireless Power ID or BD_ADDR unique to second communication unit 307 of RX 102 . If the RX 102 can receive CONNECT_REQ from the TX 101 within a predetermined time, it determines that out-of-band communication is possible with the TX 101 through BLE. Otherwise, it is determined that out-of-band communication by TX 101 and BLE is impossible. It should be noted that a method other than the above may be used to determine whether out-band communication is possible with the TX 101 and BLE. For example, the RX 102 may receive information or a signal indicating whether the TX 101 supports BLE from the TX 101, or may receive information or a signal indicating whether the TX 101 is capable of communicating with BLE. In this case, the RX 102 may determine whether out-band communication with the TX 101 and BLE is impossible based on the received information and signals. As a result, when outband communication cannot be performed with the TX 101 and BLE, the time for waiting for reception of CONNECT_REQ can be shortened, and power transmission can be started earlier.

When the RX 102 determines that out-of-band communication is possible (YES in S503), it establishes a BLE connection with the TX 101, which is the source of the CONNECT_REQ (S504). RX 102 establishes a BLE connection by receiving CONNECT_REQ. Next, the RX 102 sets the Connection Interval, which is the BLE intermittent communication interval, at the same time as the scheduled transmission interval of control data (hereinafter referred to as "Qi packet" to clearly distinguish it from BLE packets). The TX 101 is requested to set (S505). An example of a Qi packet for control is a CE packet whose scheduled transmission interval is t_interval. The RX 102 makes a Connection Interval setting request by transmitting, for example, LL_CONNECTION_PARAM_REQ in the BLE standard. Note that the RX 102 may request the TX 101 to set Connection Interval equal to t_interval, which is an integer fraction of t_interval. For example, if t_interval=250 milliseconds, the Connection Interval may be set to 1/2 of that, or 125 milliseconds.

The RX 102 performs subsequent communication with the TX 101 by out-of-band communication using BLE. When the RX 102 determines that out-band communication is impossible (NO in S503), the processing of S504 and S505 is skipped, and subsequent communication with the RX 102 is performed by in-band communication.

The RX 102 then transmits the requested GP value to the TX 101 and waits for a response from the TX 101 to determine the GP (S506). In S506, communication of the Negotiation phase of the WPC standard as described in FIG. 10B is performed.

Next, the RX 102 performs calibration phase processing of the WPC standard (S507). The calibration phase processing is preliminary measurement for accurately detecting a foreign object between the TX 101 and the RX 102, but since it is the same as the conventional technology, detailed description thereof will be omitted here.

After that, the RX 102 receives power until the battery 302 is fully charged (S508). In S508, as described with reference to FIG. 10C, the CE packet is repeatedly transmitted at intervals of t_interval, and finally the EPT packet is transmitted, ending the process.

Returning to FIG. 5, after the Power Transfer phase ends, the RX 102 disconnects the BLE connection with the RX 102 in S503 if it is connected, and ends the process (YES in S509, S510). Note that the RX 102 may continue communication with the TX 101 after S510, but in that case, in-band communication is used.

As described above, the TX 101 and RX 102 perform communication in the following phases using BLE when out-of-band communication using BLE is possible (YES in S403 and S503). That is, they are the Negotiation phase, the Calibration phase, and the Power Transfer phase. Note that even if out-of-band communication by BLE is possible, not all of the above communications need to be performed by BLE. For example, only the communication in the Power Transfer phase may be performed using BLE.

Here, a method of transmitting Qi packets defined by the WPC standard as communication signals used in BLE communication (hereinafter referred to as "BLE packets") will be described. In this embodiment, after the BLE connection, the TX 101 operates as a BLE standard GATT (Generic Attribute Profile) Client. Then, the RX 102 configures the

second communication units

207 and 307 so as to operate as a BLE standard GATT Server. At this time, the TX 101 performs BLE standard Write Characteristic Value processing, and the RX 102 performs Handle Value Notification processing (hereinafter referred to as "Notify processing"). As a result, any byte string of up to 20 bytes each can be transmitted as a BLE standard Attribute Value. Note that the upper limit of 20 bytes can be further expanded by performing BLE standard Exchange MTU processing. Note that the TX 101 may be the GATT Server and the RX 102 may be the GATT Client, or may be configured to transmit an arbitrary byte string using a BLE profile other than GATT. That is, multiple Qi packets are stored in the Attribute Value of the BLE communication packet.

Since the size of a WPC standard Qi packet is smaller than the upper limit of the Attribute Value of a BLE packet, in this embodiment, one or more Qi packets are collectively stored and transmitted in one BLE packet. FIG. 8 shows an example of storing three Qi packets in one BLE packet. The same applies to the case of numbers other than three. First, the structure of the Qi packet will be explained. A Qi packet 800 is composed of a Header 801 and a Message 802 . Header 801 is a 1-byte value representing the type of Qi packet such as a CE packet or an EPT packet. For example, in the case of a CE packet, the value of Header 801 is 03 in hexadecimal. The Message 802 is a byte string defined for each type of Qi packet, and the number of bytes differs for each type of Qi packet. For example, if the packet type is a CE packet, Message 802 is a Control Error Value with a length of 1 byte. Note that the WPC standard Qi packet also includes a preamble and a checksum, but they are not required when transmitting in BLE, so the description is omitted. A byte string 820 in FIG. 8 represents a byte string to be stored in the Attribute Value 811 of the BLE packet 810 . An area 821 at the beginning of the byte string 820 stores the number of Qi packets included in this Attribute Value. 3 in this example. A subsequent area 822 stores the number of bytes of the first Qi packet, and an area 823 stores the content of the first Qi packet, ie Header 801 and Message 802, respectively. Similarly, areas 824-825 store information of the second Qi packet, and areas 826-827 store information of the third Qi packet. In this way, multiple Qi packets are stored in one BLE packet. Note that the storage format described above is an example, and other storage formats may be used.

Next, transmission processing of BLE packets (transmission signals) will be described using FIG. FIG. 6 shows transmission processing for one Connection Interval, which is the cycle of BLE intermittent communication. In the following description, the RX 102 transmits and the TX 101 receives, but the reverse is also true. The control unit 301 of the RX 102 first generates a Qi packet and stores it in a BLE packet (S601). This process is repeated until the BLE packets become full or there are no more Qi packets to be generated (S602). Here, processing when the BLE packets are full and Qi packets cannot be added in S602, that is, when the byte string 820 in FIG. 8 reaches the upper limit of the Attribute Value size will be described. In this case, the Qi packets exceeding the upper limit in S602 are temporarily stored in the memory 310 and added to the BLE packets in S601 of the next Connection Interval. Note that if there is no Qi packet to be generated, nothing is added to the BLE packet. That is, if there is no Qi packet to be generated in S601, the process proceeds to S603 without waiting. Since the number of Qi packets stored in the BLE packet is not limited to one or less, if NO in S602, the process returns to S601.

When the BLE packets become full or there are no more Qi packets to be generated (YES in S602), the RX 102 transmits BLE packets with the contents of the Attribute Value at that time (S603). Specifically, for example, the control unit 301 of the RX 102 instructs the second communication unit 307 to perform Notify processing including the contents of Attribute Value. Then, the second communication unit 307 transmits a BLE packet containing the above Attribute Value at the next Connection Interval. In any of S601 and S602, there is no waiting when there is no Qi packet to be generated, so there is a case where no Qi packet is stored in the BLE packet at the time of S603. In this case, the BLE packet may not be transmitted, or the BLE packet may be transmitted with the number information in the leading area 821 of the Attribute Value set to 0.

This completes the Connection Interval and the transmission processing by the RX 102 for one time. The RX 102 repeats the above processing for each Connection Interval while the BLE is connected.

Next, BLE packet reception processing will be described using FIG. FIG. 7 shows reception processing for one Connection Interval, which is the cycle of BLE intermittent communication. In the following description, the TX 101 receives and the RX 102 transmits, but the reverse is also true.

The TX 101 first receives a BLE packet (received signal) (S701). For example, the second communication unit 207 of the TX 101 notifies the control unit 201 that a BLE packet has been received, and the control unit 201 reads the contents of the Attribute Value of the BLE packet from the second communication unit 207. .

　The TX 101 then acquires how many Qi packets are included in the received BLE packet (S702). For example, it can be obtained by reading the area 821 of the byte string 820 of Attribute Value. Subsequently, one unread Qi packet is read from the BLE packet (S703). For example, by reading the Attribute Value area 822 to obtain the number of bytes of the Qi packet, and reading the byte string that continues for that number of bytes, the content of the Qi packet in the area 823 can be read. Also, the memory 210 stores a read pointer indicating how many bytes from the beginning of the Attribute Value have been read. As a result, one unread Qi packet can be read out of the Qi packets stored in the areas 822-823, 824-825, and 826-827.

　The TX 101 then processes the read one Qi packet (S704). For example, when reading a Qi packet whose Header is 03, the Qi packet is recognized as a CE packet. Then, according to the Control Error Value included in the Message, the process of changing the transmitted power is performed. When the read Qi packet is an EPT packet, power transmission is stopped. For other Qi packets, processing defined in advance by the WPC standard or the like is performed.

　The TX 101 then determines whether reading of all Qi packets included in the BLE packet has been completed (S705). This can be determined by whether or not the read pointer has reached the end of the Attribute Value. If reading of all Qi packets has not been completed (NO in S705), return to S703 to read and process unread Qi packets, and if reading of all Qi packets has been completed (YES in S705). , terminate the process. Also, the TX 101 reads the Qi packets included in the BLE packet in order from the beginning and repeats the process. Specifically, when the BLE packet 810 in FIG. 8 is received, first the first Qi packet 1 (823) is read and processed, and then the Qi packet 2 (825) is read and processed. Finally, Qi packet 3 (827) is read and then processed. This completes the reception processing by the TX 101 for one Connection Interval. The TX 101 repeats the above processing for each Connection Interval while the BLE is connected.

(Operation of power transmission device regarding response processing)
The operation of the TX 101 regarding response processing will be described using FIG. 12(A). When the TX 101 receives the BLE packet 810 (received signal), it sequentially reads one unread Qi packet from the BLE packet (received signal) (S1201). Here, the TX 101 sequentially reads the Qi packets stored in the byte string 820 of the BLE packet 810 from the left. Specifically, the TX 101 first reads the Qi packet (823). Then, the TX 101 confirms the content of one read Qi packet and performs processing corresponding to the content (S1202). Processing means responding to requests received from RX 102 via Qi packets. For example, when receiving a CE packet, the TX 101 controls transmission power.

Next, if the Qi packet is not a packet that requires a response (NO in S1203), the TX 101 stores the fact that there is no response or that no response is required as response data in the response packet (response signal) (S1205). Here, the response packet means a BLE packet storing response data for one or more Qi packets included in the BLE packet transmitted by the RX 102 among the BLE packets transmitted by the TX 101 . A Qi packet that does not require a response is, for example, a CE packet. The TX 101 adjusts transmission power by controlling the voltage applied to the transmission antenna 205 based on the CE packet, as described with reference to FIG. 10C. When the TX 101 receives a CE packet through in-band communication via the first communication unit 206, it does not transmit a response packet to the RX 102. Another example of a Qi packet that does not require a response is an EPT packet. As with the CE packet, the EPT packet does not transmit a response packet to the RX 102 when the TX 101 receives the EPT packet through in-band communication via the first communication unit 206 .

If the Qi packet requires a response (YES in S1203), the TX 101 creates response data and stores it in the response packet (S1204). A response packet created by the TX 101 in response to the BLE packet 810 received from the RX 102 will be described.

First, TX 101 receives byte string 820 of BLE packet 810 from RX 102 . Here, Qi packet 1 (823) and Qi packet 3 (827) are Qi packets defined by the WPC standard, such as General Request packets, which require transmission of responses. Qi packet 2 (825) is a CE packet that does not require transmission of a response among the Qi packets defined by the WPC standard.

A response packet (response signal) created by the TX 101 when receiving such a BLE packet will be described using FIG. 11A. A response packet transmitted by the TX 101 has the same configuration as in FIG. FIG. 11A shows the byte sequence 820 (FIG. 8) of the Attribute Value of the response packet transmitted by the TX 101. FIG. An area 1101 at the beginning of the byte string 820 stores the number of Qi packets included in this Attribute Value. 3 in this example. The following area 1102 stores the number of bytes of response data corresponding to the first Qi packet, and area 1103 stores the response data for Qi packet 1 (823), which is the first Qi packet in the byte string 820 of the Attribute Value of RX 102. It is Here, the response data (1103) is 1 byte. Similarly,

areas

1104 and 1105 are response data to Qi packet 2 (825), which is the second Qi packet, and

areas

1106 and 1107 are response data to Qi packet 3 (827), which is the third Qi packet. Thus, response data for a plurality of Qi packets are stored in one response packet. ACK (1103) is stored as response data to Qi packet 1 (823), and ACK (1107) is stored as response data to Qi packet 3 (827). Also, since Qi packet 2 (825) is a CE packet that does not require transmission of a response, 1105 is stored as response data "No Response" indicating that no response is required. Thus, the TX 101 stores the response data for each Qi packet in the response packet (response signal) in the same order as the Qi packets stored in the byte sequence 820 transmitted by the RX 102 .

The operation related to response processing of RX 102 that has received a response packet (response signal) will be described using FIG. 13(A). RX 102 receives a response packet (response signal) from TX 101 (S1301). Then, the RX 102 sequentially acquires response data in the response packet (S1302). That is, first, RX 102 acquires the first response data (1103) in FIG. 11A. Next, the RX 102 sequentially acquires Qi packets in the most recently transmitted BLE packet (transmission signal) and compares them with each response data (S1303). Here, Qi packet 1 (823) is compared with ACK (1103) which is response data. Then, if comparison of all the response data in the response packet and the Qi packet has not been completed (NO in S1304), the TX 101 returns to processing S1302. Here, since the response data (1105, 1107) have not been acquired, the process returns to S1302, the response data (1105) is acquired (S1302), and compared with the Qi packet 1 (825) (S1303). After that, after the determination in S1304, the process returns to S1302, the response data (1107) is acquired (S1302), and compared with the Qi packet 1 (827) (S1303). Through the above processing, the RX 102 can associate Qi packet 1 (823) with ACK (1103), Qi packet 2 (825) with No Response (1105), and Qi packet 3 (827) with ACK (1107).

(system behavior)
The operation of the system composed of TX 101 and RX 102 will be described with reference to FIG. Here, it is assumed that the RX 102 is placed on the charging base 103 of the TX 101, and the subsequent operation will be described. In addition, in this description, the timing constraints for real-time control of transmitted power to be observed by the TX 101 and RX 102 are as follows based on the WPC standard. That is, let t_interval1=250 ms, t_delay=5 ms, t_control=25 ms, and t_timeout=1500 ms.

First, the TX 101 and RX 102 execute up to the I&C phase (F901, S401-S402, S501-S502). Here, RX 102 transmits ADV_IND including identification information (F902, S503), and TX 101 confirms that this ADV_IND includes the identification information of RX 102 acquired in the I&C phase (F903, S403). TX 101 then transmits CONNECT_IND to establish a BLE connection between TX 101 and RX 102 (F904, S404, S504). Subsequently, the RX 102 requests that t_interval=250 milliseconds, which is the interval at which CE packets are to be transmitted later, be set as the BLE Connection Interval (F906, S505). The TX 101 then sets this (F907, S405). After that, the WPC standard Negotiation phase and Calibration phase are processed between the TX 101 and RX 102 (F908, S406-S407, S506-S507), and the Power Transfer phase is started.

The RX 102 generates one CE packet and stores it in the BLE packet in the first 250 ms Connection Interval (F909). RX 102 transmits a BLE packet including a CE packet (F910). Transmission of the BLE packet is performed by Notify processing as described above. The RX 102 similarly generates a BLE packet including a CE packet in the next Connection Interval (F911) and transmits the BLE packet (F912). At the next Connection Interval, the RX 102 first generates a CE packet and stores it in the BLE packet (F913). Subsequently, one Charge Status packet is generated and added to the BLE packet (F914). Since there are no more Qi packets to be generated, the RX 102 transmits a BLE packet containing one CE packet and one Charge Status packet (F915). In the subsequent Connection Interval, the RX 102 generates a BLE packet including a CE packet (F916) and transmits the BLE packet (F917). In subsequent Connection Intervals, the RX 102 repeats the same processing as the Connection Intervals of F916 and F917. After that, the RX 102 detects that the battery 302 has reached full charge at a certain Connection Interval (F918). The RX 102 then generates a CE packet and stores it in the BLE packet (F919), and generates one EPT packet and adds it to the BLE packet (F920) in that Connection Interval. Since there are no more Qi packets to be generated (NO in S603), the RX 102 transmits a BLE packet including a CE packet and one EPT packet (F921). As explained in FIG. 10C, the Power Transfer phase ends when the RX 102 transmits the EPT packet. Since TX and RX are performing outband communication by BLE, this is disconnected and terminated (F922, YES in S409, YES in S410, S509, S510).

Here, the processing of TX101 in the Power Transfer phase will be explained. First, the processing of the TX 101 when receiving a BLE packet including a CE packet such as F910 and F912 will be described. The TX 101 recognizes that the BLE packet received in that Connection Interval contains one Qi packet, reads that Qi packet, that is, the CE packet from the BLE packet, and processes it without imposing restrictions specific to in-band communication. do. This process is a process of controlling transmission power based on the Control Error Value contained in the CE packet. After that, since reading of all Qi packets has been completed, the processing of that Connection Interval ends.

Next, as in F915, the processing of the TX 101 when receiving a BLE packet containing a CE packet and a Charge Status packet, which is another Qi packet, will be described. The TX 101 recognizes that two Qi packets are included in the BLE packet received in that Connection Interval, reads the leading one Qi packet, that is, the CE packet from the BLE packet, and processes it. This process is a process of controlling transmission power based on the Control Error Value contained in the CE packet. The TX 101 then reads and processes the Charge Status packet. This process is a process of displaying on the display unit 208 based on the Charge Status Value contained in the Charge Status packet. After that, the TX 101 completes the processing of that Connection Interval since reading of all Qi packets has been completed.

Here, in F906, the RX 102 sets the Connection Interval to the same interval as the scheduled CE packet transmission interval t_interval. That is, between the TX 101 and the RX 102, using outband communication by BLE, the real-time control of transmitted power can be repeated at t_interval=250 milliseconds predetermined by the RX 102. Also, since a BLE packet including a CE packet arrives every 250 milliseconds, a timeout does not occur due to an interval of t_timeout=1500 milliseconds or longer between CE packets. Furthermore, the BLE packets transmitted by the RX 102 with a period of 250 milliseconds contain at most one CE packet. Also, during the period of F930, the TX 101 can receive and process Qi packets that are not for real-time control, such as Charge Status packets, while performing real-time control using CE packets.

<Second embodiment>
In the first embodiment, when the TX 101 creates a response packet, of the Qi packets included in the received BLE packet that do not require a response, the fact that there is no response or that a response is not required is sent as response data. changed to be stored in the response packet. In the second embodiment, a configuration will be described in which response data is not stored in a response packet for Qi packets that do not require a response.

The operation of the TX 101 regarding response processing will be explained using FIG. Since the processing from S1201 to S1204 and S1206 is the same as that of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted. In this embodiment, the TX 101 performs control so as not to create response data unless the Qi packet requires a response (NO in S1203) (S1207).

A response packet created by the TX 101 in response to the BLE packet 810 received from the RX 102 will be described using FIG. 11B. ACK (1103), which is the response data of Qi packet 1 (823), and ACK (1107), which is the response data of Qi packet 2 (825), are received from the RX 102 in the byte string 820 (see FIG. 8) of the response packet. are stored in the same order as the byte string 820 that was written. However, the response data (1104, 1105) shown in FIG. 11A are not included in the response packet.

The operation related to the response processing of the RX 102 that received the response packet shown in FIG. 11B will be described using FIG. First, RX 102 receives a response packet (S1301). When the RX 102 sequentially acquires the response data in the response packet (S1302), it sequentially acquires the Qi packets in the most recently transmitted BLE packet (S1305). Then, if the RX 102 does not require a Qi packet response (NO in S1306), the RX 102 compares the response data and the Qi packet (S1307). Also, if the acquired Qi packet response is unnecessary (YES in S1306), the process returns to S1305 to acquire the next Qi packet. After that, if the comparison of all the response data in the response packet and the Qi packet has not been completed (NO in S1304), the RX 102 returns to processing S1302, acquires the next response data in the response packet, and process. If the determination in S1304 is YES, the RX 102 ends the process.

Through the above processing, the RX 102 can associate Qi packet 1 (823) with ACK (1103) and Qi packet 3 (827) with ACK (1107). Also, even if there is no response data corresponding to Qi packet 2 (825), RX 102 can perform appropriate processing.

<Third Embodiment>
The TX 101 of this embodiment stores the header information of the corresponding Qi packet in the response data in addition to the response to the Qi packet. Specifically, the TX 101 stores header information of the corresponding Qi packet as response data when creating a response in S1204 of FIG.

A response packet created by the TX 101 in response to the BLE packet 810 received from the RX 102 will be described using FIGS. 11C and 11D. FIG. 11C stores the header information of the corresponding Qi packet in the response packet of FIG. 11A. Here, Header 1 (1108) is header information of Qi packet 1 (823), Header 2 (1109) is header information of Qi packet 2 (825), Header 3 (1110) is header information of Qi packet 3 (827). is. Also, the number of bytes of response data (1102, 1104, 1106) is three. This is the sum of 2 bytes, which is the size of the Qi packet header, and 1 byte, which is the size of the response data.

Also, FIG. 11D stores the header information of the corresponding Qi packet in the response packet of FIG. 11B. Header 1 (1108) is the header information of Qi packet 1 (823), and Header 3 (1110) is the header information of Qi packet 3 (827).

　The operation related to the response processing of the RX 102 that has received the response packet shown in FIG. 11C or D will be described using FIG. First, RX 102 receives a response packet from TX 101 . Next, the RX 102 sequentially acquires the response data in the response packet and its header information (S1308). Then, the RX 102 acquires Qi packets having the same header information among the Qi packets among the BLE packets transmitted most recently (S1309), and compares the response data with the acquired Qi packets (S1310). After that, if comparison of all the response data in the response packet and the Qi packet has not been completed (NO in S1304), the RX 102 returns to processing S1302 and acquires the next response data in the response packet and its header information. If the determination in S1304 is YES, the RX 102 ends the process.

The above configuration also has the same effect as the first and second embodiments. Also, the Qi packet and the response data are linked by header information. Therefore, as in the first and second embodiments, when creating a response packet, the TX 101 sends the response data to the response packet in order according to the order in which the Qi packets are stored in the BLE packet. There is an effect that it is not necessary to store in

(Other embodiments)
In the above description, when transmission of a response is unnecessary, the TX 101 stores the information "No Response" as information indicating that there is no response as response data or that there is no need for a response. However, this may be information with a similar meaning, such as NULL.

Also, in the above explanation, the response processing of the TX 101 regarding the BLE packet received from the RX 102 was explained based on the response packets of FIGS. 11A to 11D and the flow of FIG. However, this may also be RX 102's response processing for BLE packets received from TX 101 . Specifically, for the Qi packet included in the Attribute Value byte string 820 received from the TX 101, the RX 102 creates a response packet shown in FIGS. 11A to 11D based on the processing flow shown in FIGS. good too. In that case, the TX 101 will have the same effect even if it operates based on the flow of FIGS.

The present disclosure supplies a program that implements one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. processing is also feasible. It can also be implemented by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that implements one or more functions.

Also, the TX 101 and RX 102 may be image input devices such as imaging devices (cameras, video cameras, etc.) and scanners, or may be image output devices such as printers, copiers, and projectors. Alternatively, it may be a storage device such as a hard disk device or a memory device, or an information processing device such as a personal computer (PC) or a smart phone.

Also, at least part of the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 4 to 7 and FIGS. 12 to 16 may be implemented by hardware. When implemented by hardware, for example, by using a predetermined compiler, a dedicated circuit may be automatically generated on an FPGA from a program for implementing each step. Also, a Gate Array circuit may be formed in the same manner as the FPGA and implemented as hardware.

Also, the power receiving device of the present disclosure may be an information terminal device. For example, an information terminal device has a display unit (display) that displays information to a user and is supplied with power received from a power receiving antenna. The power received from the power receiving antenna is stored in a power storage unit (battery), and power is supplied from the battery to the display unit. In this case, the power receiving device may have a communication unit that communicates with another device different from the power transmitting device. The communication unit may support communication standards such as NFC communication and the fifth generation mobile communication system (5G).

Also, the power receiving device of the present disclosure may be a vehicle such as an automobile. For example, an automobile, which is a power receiving device, may receive power from a charger (power transmitting device) via a power transmitting antenna installed in a parking lot. Also, the automobile, which is the power receiving device, may receive power from a charger (power transmitting device) via a power transmitting antenna embedded in the road. In such automobiles, the received power is supplied to the battery. The power of the battery may be supplied to the driving unit (motor, electric unit) that drives the wheels, or may be used to drive sensors used for driving assistance or to drive the communication unit that communicates with external devices. good. In other words, in this case, the power receiving device may include a battery, a motor or sensor driven by the received power, and a communication unit that communicates with devices other than the power transmitting device, in addition to the wheels. Furthermore, the power receiving device may have a housing portion for housing a person. For example, sensors include sensors used to measure the distance between vehicles and the distance to other obstacles. The communication unit may be compatible with, for example, the Global Positioning System (Global Positioning Satellite, GPS). Also, the communication unit may support a communication standard such as the fifth generation mobile communication system (5G). Also, the vehicle may be a bicycle or a motorcycle.

Also, the power receiving device of the present disclosure may be an electric tool, a home appliance, or the like. These devices, which are power receiving devices, may have a battery as well as a motor driven by received power stored in the battery. Also, these devices may have notification means for notifying the remaining amount of the battery. Also, these devices may have a communication unit that communicates with another device different from the power transmission device. The communication unit may support communication standards such as NFC and the fifth generation mobile communication system (5G).

Also, the power transmission device of the present disclosure may be an in-vehicle charger that transmits power to mobile information terminal devices such as smartphones and tablets that support wireless power transmission in the vehicle. Such an on-board charger may be provided anywhere in the vehicle. For example, the in-vehicle charger may be installed in the console of the automobile, or may be installed in the instrument panel (instrument panel, dashboard), between the seats of passengers, on the ceiling, or on the door. However, it should not be installed in a place that interferes with driving. Further, although the power transmission device has been described as an example of an in-vehicle charger, such a charger is not limited to being placed in a vehicle, and may be installed in a transport machine such as a train, an aircraft, or a ship. Chargers in this case may also be installed between passenger seats, on the ceiling, or on the door.

Also, a vehicle such as an automobile equipped with an in-vehicle charger may be the power transmission device. In this case, the power transmission device has wheels and a battery, and uses the power of the battery to supply power to the power reception device through the power transmission circuit unit and the power transmission antenna.

The present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to publicize the scope of the present disclosure.

This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2021-182686 filed on November 9, 2021, and the entire contents thereof are incorporated herein.

Claims

power transmitting means for wirelessly transmitting power to the power receiving device via the first antenna;
communication means for performing communication using a signal capable of storing a plurality of control data for controlling wireless power transmission with the power receiving device via a second antenna different from the first antenna;
When a received signal including a plurality of control data requiring a response is received from the power receiving device by the communication means, the plurality of response data corresponding to the plurality of control data requiring a response are stored in the received signal. and control means for controlling the communication means so as to transmit the response signals stored in the order corresponding to the order of the control data in the above.
When the plurality of control data includes control data requiring no response, the control means provides a response signal including data corresponding to the control data requiring no response and a plurality of control data requiring response, The data for the control data requiring no response and the plurality of response data for the plurality of control data requiring the response are stored in an order corresponding to the order of the plurality of control data stored in the received signal. 2. The power transmission device according to claim 1, wherein said communication means is controlled to transmit a response signal.
3. The power transmission device according to claim 2, wherein the data for the control data that does not require a response includes information indicating that the response is for the control data that does not require a response.
When the plurality of control data includes control data that does not require a response, the control means does not include data for the control data that does not require a response, and includes a plurality of response data for the plurality of control data that requires a response. Controlling the communication means to transmit a response signal in which the plurality of response data are stored in an order corresponding to the order of the plurality of control data stored in the received signal. 2. The power transmission device according to claim 1.
power transmitting means for wirelessly transmitting power to the power receiving device via the first antenna;
communication means for performing communication using a signal capable of storing a plurality of control data for controlling wireless power transmission with the power receiving device via a second antenna different from the first antenna;
When a received signal including a plurality of control data requiring a response is received from the power receiving device by the communication means, a plurality of response data to the plurality of control data requiring a response and each of the plurality of response data are received. and control means for controlling the communication means to transmit a response signal containing information indicating which of the plurality of control data stored in the signal corresponds to and power transmission equipment.
When the plurality of control data includes control data that does not require a response, the control means controls data for the control data that does not require a response, a plurality of control data that require a response, and control data that does not require a response. and information indicating which of the plurality of control data stored in the received signal corresponds to each of the plurality of response data to the plurality of control data requiring the response. 6. The power transmission device according to claim 5, wherein said communication means is controlled to transmit a response signal.
7. The power transmission device according to claim 6, wherein the data for the control data that does not require a response includes information indicating that the response is for the control data that does not require a response.
When the plurality of control data includes control data that does not require a response, the control means does not include data for the control data that does not require a response, and includes a plurality of response data for the plurality of control data that requires a response. a response signal, the response signal including information indicating which of the plurality of control data stored in the received signal corresponds to each of the plurality of response data; 6. The power transmission device according to claim 5, which controls the communication means.
The information indicating which of the plurality of control data stored in the received signal each of the plurality of response data corresponds to is information for identifying the control data transmitted by the power receiving device. 9. The power transmission device according to any one of claims 5 to 8, comprising:
10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the communication means performs communication according to Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy (BLE) defined in Bluetooth (registered trademark) 4.0 or later standards. A power transmission device as described.
The control data is a packet defined by WPC (Wireless Power Consortium) standards,
In the Attribute Value in the received signal used for the BLE communication,
11. The power transmitting device according to claim 10, wherein packets defined by WPC standards are stored.
Any one of claims 2 to 4 or any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the unnecessary control data of the response is a control error packet defined by WPC (Wireless Power Consortium) standards. 2. The power transmission device according to item 1.
Any one of claims 2 to 4 or claims 6 to 8, wherein the unnecessary control data of the response is an End Power Transfer packet defined by WPC (Wireless Power Consortium) standards. 1. The power transmission device according to 1.
having wheels and a battery,
14. The power transmitting device according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the power transmitting means wirelessly transmits power to the power receiving device using the power of the battery.
The power transmission device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, which is installed in a vehicle.
a power receiving means for wirelessly receiving power from a power transmission device via a first antenna;
a communication means for performing communication using a communication signal capable of storing a plurality of control data for controlling wireless power transmission with the power transmission device via a second antenna different from the first antenna; death,
After transmitting a transmission signal including a plurality of control data requiring a response, the communication means stores a plurality of response data to the plurality of control data requiring a response from the power transmission device in the transmission signal. A power receiving device that receives response signals stored in an order corresponding to the order of the plurality of control data.
a power receiving means for wirelessly receiving power from a power transmission device via a first antenna;
a communication means for performing communication using a communication signal capable of storing a plurality of control data for controlling wireless power transmission with the power transmission device via a second antenna different from the first antenna; death,
After transmitting a transmission signal including a plurality of control data requiring a response, the communication means transmits a plurality of response data to the plurality of control data requiring a response and each of the plurality of response data from the power transmitting device. and information indicating which of the plurality of control data stored in the transmission signal corresponds to the response signal.
a battery that stores power received by the power receiving means;
18. The power receiving device according to claim 16 or 17, further comprising a motor for driving wheels using power of said battery.
a battery that stores power received by the power receiving means;
18. The power receiving device according to claim 16, further comprising a display section to which power from the battery is supplied.
18. The power receiving device according to claim 16, further comprising: a battery for storing power received by said power receiving means; and a notification means for notifying said battery remaining amount.
A first antenna that wirelessly transmits power to a power receiving device, and a second antenna that, unlike the first antenna, communicates using a signal capable of storing a plurality of control data for controlling wireless power transmission with the power receiving device. A control method for a power transmission device having an antenna,
a power transmission step of wirelessly transmitting power to a power receiving device via the first antenna;
When a received signal including a plurality of control data requiring responses is received from the power receiving device via the second antenna, a plurality of response data corresponding to the plurality of control data requiring responses are stored in the received signal. and a transmitting step of transmitting the response signals stored in an order corresponding to the order of the plurality of control data stored in the received signal.
A first antenna that wirelessly transmits power to a power receiving device, and a second antenna that, unlike the first antenna, communicates using a signal capable of storing a plurality of control data for controlling wireless power transmission with the power receiving device. A control method for a power transmission device having an antenna,
a power transmission step of wirelessly transmitting power to a power receiving device via the first antenna;
When a received signal including a plurality of control data requiring a response is received from the power receiving device via the second antenna, a plurality of response data for the plurality of control data requiring a response and the plurality of response data and a transmission step of transmitting a response signal including information indicating which of the plurality of control data stored in the received signal corresponds to each of the plurality of control data. .
A first antenna that wirelessly receives power from a power transmission device and, unlike the first antenna, performs communication using a communication signal capable of storing a plurality of control data for controlling the power transmission device and wireless power transmission. A control method for a power receiving device having two antennas,
a power receiving step of wirelessly receiving power from a power transmission device via the first antenna;
a transmission step of transmitting, via the second antenna, a transmission signal including a plurality of pieces of control data requiring a response;
After the transmitting step, the plurality of control data requiring the response are stored from the power transmitting device via the second antenna in an order corresponding to the order of the plurality of control data stored in the transmission signal. and a receiving step of receiving the response signal.
A first antenna that wirelessly receives power from a power transmission device and, unlike the first antenna, performs communication using a communication signal capable of storing a plurality of control data for controlling the power transmission device and wireless power transmission. A control method for a power receiving device having two antennas,
a power receiving step of wirelessly receiving power from a power transmission device via the first antenna;
a transmission step of transmitting, via the second antenna, a transmission signal including a plurality of pieces of control data requiring a response;
After the transmitting step, a plurality of response data to the plurality of control data to which the response is required from the power transmitting device, and each of the plurality of response data corresponds to any one of the plurality of control data stored in the transmission signal. and a receiving step of receiving a response signal containing information indicating whether the control method is correct.
A program that causes a computer to function as the power transmitting device according to any one of claims 1 to 15 or the power receiving device according to any one of claims 16 to 20.