Charging device

Abstract

A charging device (10) wirelessly charges a terminal device that is disposed on a mounting surface (12A) and that is provided with a power receiving unit that receives wirelessly transmitted power. The power transmission coil (30) transmits power to a terminal device. The power transmission control unit (50E) causes the power transmission coil (30) to transmit power. The detection coil (40) is a coil for detecting the arrangement position of the terminal device on the placement surface (12A). The signal output unit (46) outputs a first signal for generating a magnetic field for detection to the detection coil (40). The signal detection unit (48) detects an echo signal that responds to the detection magnetic field and responds from the terminal device to the detection coil (40). A determination unit (50B) determines, on the basis of the detection result of the echo signal, whether or not the terminal device is present within a chargeable estimation range (64) by the power transmission coil (30).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a charging device. Background Art

[0002] Devices for wirelessly charging a terminal device with a built-in battery are known. For example, a device is disclosed that moves a power transmission coil to a location where the terminal device is arranged and uses the power transmission coil to wirelessly charge the terminal device (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

[0003] Prior art literature

[0004] Patent Literature

[0005] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-247194

[0006] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2014-7866 Summary of the invention

[0007] Problem that the invention aims to solve

[0008] However, in the prior art, when the terminal device is placed on the placement surface, the power transmission coil starts to move toward the configuration position of the terminal device, thereby starting wireless charging from the power transmission coil toward the terminal device. In addition, in the prior art, wireless charging is sometimes started unconditionally when the terminal device is placed on the placement surface. Therefore, in the prior art, there is a situation where even when the terminal device is placed in a position where wireless charging is difficult, the movement of the power transmission coil and wireless charging are started, thereby increasing power consumption. In addition, in the prior art, the voltage value of the power transmission coil is compared with a predetermined constant value, and charging is started when it is determined to be in an appropriate state. However, in the prior art, based on the premise that communication between the power transmission coil and the terminal device can be performed, the effect is limited for the case where the terminal device is placed in a position where wireless charging is difficult to communicate, and sometimes it is difficult to achieve power saving.

[0009] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a charging device capable of achieving power saving.

[0010] Solutions for solving problems

[0011] A charging device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is a charging device that wirelessly charges a terminal device that is arranged on a loading surface and has a power receiving unit that receives wirelessly transmitted power. The charging device includes a power transmission coil, a power transmission control unit, a detection coil, a signal output unit, a signal detection unit, and a determination unit. The power transmission coil transmits power to the terminal device. The power transmission control unit causes the power transmission coil to transmit power. The detection coil is used to detect the configuration position of the terminal device on the loading surface. The signal output unit outputs a first signal for generating a magnetic field for detection to the detection coil. The signal detection unit detects an echo signal that responds from the terminal device to the detection coil in response to the magnetic field for detection. The determination unit determines whether the terminal device is within the estimated chargeable range based on the power transmission coil based on the detection result of the echo signal.

[0012] Effects of the Invention

[0013] According to the present disclosure, power saving can be achieved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a charging system according to an embodiment.

[0015] Figure 2 This is a hardware configuration diagram of an example of a control unit.

[0016] Figure 3 This is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a charging device.

[0017] Figure 4 This is an explanatory diagram of an example of a detection coil according to the embodiment.

[0018] Figure 5 It is a graph showing an example of a pulse signal and an echo signal.

[0019] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between the estimated chargeable range and the terminal device.

[0020] Figure 7 It is a graph showing an example of the detection result of the echo signal.

[0021] Figure 8 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the charging process according to the embodiment.

[0022] Fig. 9 This is a flowchart showing an example of a conventional charging control flow.

[0023] Fig. 10A This is an explanatory diagram of an example of the effect of the charging device according to the present embodiment.

[0024] Fig. 10BThis is an explanatory diagram of an example of the effect of the charging device according to the present embodiment.

[0025] Fig.11 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the charging process according to the embodiment.

[0026] Fig. 12A This is an explanatory diagram of an example of the effect of the charging device according to the present embodiment.

[0027] Fig. 12B This is an explanatory diagram of an example of the effect of the charging device according to the present embodiment.

[0028] Fig.13 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the charging process according to the embodiment.

[0029] Fig.14 It is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a charging device according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] Below, please refer to the attached Figure 1 The embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail. However, sometimes an overly detailed description is omitted. In addition, the drawings and the following description are provided to enable those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure, and the subject matter recorded in the claims is not limited by them.

[0031] (First Embodiment)

[0032] Figure 1 It is a diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a charging system 1 according to the present embodiment.

[0033] The charging system 1 includes a charging device 10A and a terminal device 20 .

[0034] The charging device 10A is an example of the charging device 10. The charging device 10 is a device that wirelessly charges a terminal device 20 having a built-in battery 24.

[0035] Wireless charging refers to charging by wireless means. In the present embodiment, the wireless charging is described as an example in which charging is performed based on magnetic induction.

[0036] The terminal device 20 is a device having a built-in battery 24. The terminal device 20 is, for example, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, an audio player, a mobile phone, or the like.

[0037] The terminal device 20 includes at least a power receiving unit 22 and a battery 24 .

[0038] The power receiving unit 22 is a mechanism for receiving power wirelessly transmitted from the charging device 10A. The power receiving unit 22 is, for example, an induction coil electromagnetically coupled to a power transmission coil 30 of the charging device 10A described later. The battery 24 is charged by the power induced in the power receiving unit 22.

[0039] The housing 12 of the charging device 10A is provided with a placement surface 12A. The placement surface 12A is a surface for placing the terminal device 20 as a wireless charging target. In this embodiment, the placement surface 12A is an example in which the placement surface 12A is a part of the outer surface of the housing 12 and is a two-dimensional plane area.

[0040] In this embodiment, the description is made assuming that the mounting surface 12A is a two-dimensional plane along a plane defined by a first direction and a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. Figure 1 As shown, the first direction is assumed to be the X-axis direction and the second direction is the Y-axis direction for description. The X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction are directions perpendicular to each other along the two-dimensional plane of the mounting surface 12A. The Z-axis direction perpendicular to the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction is assumed to be consistent with the thickness direction of the housing 12 for description.

[0041] The power transmission coil 30 , the moving mechanism 34 , the detection coil 40 , the control unit 50 , and the like are provided in the casing 12 of the charging device 10A.

[0042] The power transmission coil 30 is a coil for transmitting electric power to the terminal device 20. Specifically, the power transmission coil 30 is a coil for inducing electric power to the power receiving unit 22 of the terminal device 20 placed on the placement surface 12A.

[0043] The moving mechanism 34 is a mechanism for moving the power transmission coil 30 along the mounting surface 12A. In the present embodiment, the moving mechanism 34 includes a drive motor 34A and a drive motor 34B. The drive motor 34A is a motor for moving the power transmission coil 30 along the Y-axis direction. The drive motor 34B is a motor for moving the power transmission coil 30 along the X-axis direction.

[0044] The drive motor 34A and the drive motor 34B are connected to the support member 32 .

[0045] The support member 32 includes a screw rod member 32A, a guide rod 32B, a screw rod member 32C, a guide rod 32D, a nut 32E, a nut 32F, and a nut 32G.

[0046] The screw member 32A and the guide rod 32B are rod-shaped members extending in the Y-axis direction, and support the power transmission coil 30 via the nut 32G. One end of the screw member 32A and the guide rod 32B in the Y-axis direction is connected to the nut 32E, and the other end in the Y-axis direction is connected to the nut 32F. One end of the screw member 32A in the Y-axis direction is connected to the drive motor 34A.

[0047] The screw member 32A is rotated by driving the drive motor 34A, whereby the nut 32G supporting the power transmission coil 30 moves in the Y-axis direction, which is the extending direction of the guide rod 32B, and the power transmission coil 30 moves in the Y-axis direction.

[0048] The screw member 32C and the guide rod 32D are rod-shaped members extending in the X-axis direction, and support the nut 32E and the nut 32F, respectively. One end of the screw member 32C in the extending direction is connected to the nut 32G, and the drive motor 34B is provided on the nut 32G.

[0049] The screw member 32C is rotated by the drive motor 34B, whereby the nut 32E and the nut 32F supporting the power transmission coil 30 via the screw member 32A and the guide rod 32B move in the X-axis direction along the screw member 32C and the guide rod 32D, respectively. The power transmission coil 30 moves in the X-axis direction due to the movement of the nut 32E and the nut 32F in the X-axis direction.

[0050] In this way, the power transmission coil 30 is configured to be movable along the mounting surface 12A and in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction by driving the drive motor 34A and the drive motor 34B included in the moving mechanism 34. That is, the power transmission coil 30 is configured to be movable within a movable range 62 along the mounting surface 12A by the moving mechanism 34. The movable range 62 is a range within which the power transmission coil 30 is movable by the moving mechanism 34. The movable range 62 is an area along the two-dimensional plane of the mounting surface 12A, and is an area occupying a part of the mounting surface 12A.

[0051] The moving mechanism 34 is not limited to any mechanism as long as it moves the power transmission coil 30 along the mounting surface 12A. Figure 1 The structure shown.

[0052] The detection coil 40 is a coil for detecting the configuration position of the terminal device 20 on the mounting surface 12A. The configuration position of the terminal device 20 refers to the configuration position of the power receiving unit 22 provided in the terminal device 20. The configuration position of the terminal device 20 is represented by the position on the mounting surface 12A. The detection coil 40 is configured along the mounting surface 12A on the inner side of the mounting surface 12A. The details of the detection coil 40 are described later.

[0053] The control unit 50 executes information processing in the charging device 10 .

[0054] Figure 2 This is a hardware configuration diagram of an example of the control unit 50 .

[0055] The control unit 50 utilizes a general computer hardware configuration in which a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 11A, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 11B, a RAM 11C, an I / F 11D, and the like are mutually connected via a bus 11E.

[0056] The CPU 11A is a computing device that controls the charging device 10A of the present embodiment. The ROM 11B stores programs and the like for realizing various processes performed by the CPU 11A. The RAM 11C stores data required for various processes performed by the CPU 11A. The I / F 11D is an interface for transmitting and receiving data.

[0057] The program for executing the information processing executed by the charging device 10A of the present embodiment is provided by pre-embedded in the ROM 11B, etc. In addition, the program executed by the charging device 10A of the present embodiment may also be provided by recording a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM, a floppy disk (FD), a CD-R, or a DVD (Digital Versatile Disk) in a format that can be installed in the charging device 10A or in an executable format.

[0058] Next, the structure of the charging device 10A will be described in detail.

[0059] Figure 3 It is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the charging device 10A.

[0060] The charging device 10A includes a power transmission coil 30 , a moving mechanism 34 , a detection coil 40 , an AC power source 42 , a selector 44 , a signal output unit 46 , a signal detection unit 48 , and a control unit 50 .

[0061] As described above, the detection coil 40 is a coil for detecting the arrangement position of the terminal device 20 on the placement surface 12A.

[0062] Figure 4 1 is an explanatory diagram of an example of the detection coil 40 of the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, the detection coil 40 includes a first detection coil 40A and a second detection coil 40B.

[0063] The first detection coil 40A is a coil for detecting the arrangement position of the terminal device 20 within the chargeable estimated range 64 on the placement surface 12A.

[0064] The estimated chargeable range 64 refers to an estimated range in which the terminal device 20 on the placement surface 12A is estimated to be chargeable. The actual chargeable range of the terminal device 20 on the placement surface 12A is determined by the movable range 62 of the power transmission coil 30 and the compatibility between the power receiving unit 22 of the terminal device 20 and the power transmission coil 30. That is, the actual chargeable range is a range that is determined when the power receiving unit 22 receives power from the power transmission coil 30. The actual chargeable range must be a range larger than the movable range 62 of the power transmission coil 30, but its maximum range varies depending on the compatibility between the power transmission coil 30 and the power receiving unit 22 of the terminal device 20.

[0065] In the charging device 10A of the present embodiment, a chargeable estimated range 64 is predetermined to be a range that is larger than the movable range 62 of the power transmission coil 30 in the two-dimensional plane along the mounting surface 12A and is estimated to be capable of charging corresponding to a desirable relationship between the power transmission coil 30 and the power receiving unit 22 .

[0066] The first detection coil 40A is disposed so as to be able to detect the arrangement position of the terminal device 20 placed on the placement surface 12A within at least the chargeable estimated range 64 .

[0067] In this embodiment, the first detection coil 40A extends in the X-axis direction in the two-dimensional plane along the mounting surface 12A, and a plurality of first detection coils 40A are arranged along the Y-axis direction intersecting the X-axis direction in the two-dimensional plane. In addition, the plurality of first detection coils 40A are configured to cover the entire area corresponding to at least the estimated chargeable range 64 in the two-dimensional plane along the mounting surface 12A. Figure 4 and Figure 3 In FIG. 1 , as an example, four first detection coils 40A extending in the X-axis direction are arranged in the Y-axis direction. In addition, the number of the first detection coils 40A is not limited to four as long as it is plural.

[0068] The second detection coil 40B is a coil for detecting a position of the terminal device 20 outside the chargeable estimated range 64 on the placement surface 12A.

[0069] The second detection coil 40B is disposed so as to be able to detect the arrangement position of the terminal device 20 placed on the placement surface 12A outside the chargeable estimated range 64 .

[0070] In the present embodiment, the second detection coil 40B extends in the Y-axis direction and is arranged at two ends of the first detection coil 40A in the X-axis direction which is the extension direction. In addition, the second detection coil 40B is arranged to selectively cover an area corresponding to the outside of the chargeable estimated range 64 in a two-dimensional plane along the mounting surface 12A. For example, the second detection coil 40B1 is arranged on the side of one end in the X-axis direction of the first detection coil 40A, and the second detection coil 40B2 is arranged on the side of the other end in the X-axis direction of the first detection coil 40A. The second detection coil 40B1 and the second detection coil 40B2 are an example of the second detection coil 40B.

[0071] exist Figure 4 and Figure 3 In the figure, an example is shown in which the second detection coil 40B is overlapped and arranged along the Z-axis direction relative to the two end portions in the extension direction of the first detection coil 40A. However, the second detection coil 40B can also be arranged at the two end portions in the extension direction of the first detection coil 40A without overlapping. In this case, the second detection coil 40B only needs to be arranged on the outside of the two end portions along the X-axis direction relative to the two end portions in the extension direction of the first detection coil 40A.

[0072] By configuring the first detection coil 40A and the second detection coil 40B, the detection range 60 of the terminal device 20 by the detection coil 40 including the first detection coil 40A and the second detection coil 40B is a range that includes the entire area of ​​the movable range 62 and the chargeable estimated range 64 and is larger than these ranges.

[0073] Back to Figure 3 Continue with the explanation.

[0074] The first detection coil 40A and the second detection coil 40B are electrically connected to each of the signal output unit 46 and the signal detection unit 48 via the selector 44 .

[0075] The signal output unit 46 outputs a first signal for generating a magnetic field for detection to the detection coil 40. The signal output unit 46 selectively outputs the first signal to a specified detection coil 40 by switching the connection of the selector 44. The first signal is a signal for generating a magnetic field for detection from the detection coil 40. The first signal is, for example, a pulse signal. The detection coil 40 generates a magnetic field for detection by receiving the first signal.

[0076] The signal detection unit 48 detects the echo signal that responds from the terminal device 20 to the detection coil 40 in response to the detection magnetic field generated by the detection coil 40 via the selector 44. The signal detection unit 48 selectively detects the echo signal that responds to the specified detection coil 40 by switching the connection of the selector 44. The signal detection unit 48 outputs the detection result of the echo signal to the control unit 50.

[0077] The control unit 50 includes an arrangement position specifying unit 50A, a determining unit 50B, a moving mechanism control unit 50C, a communication determining unit 50D, and a power transmission control unit 50E.

[0078] Part or all of the configuration position determination unit 50A, the determination unit 50B, the movement mechanism control unit 50C, the communication determination unit 50D, and the power transmission control unit 50E may be implemented, for example, by causing a processing device such as the CPU 11A to execute a program, i.e., by software, or by hardware such as an IC (Integrated Circuit), or may be implemented by a combination of software and hardware.

[0079] The arrangement position determination unit 50A determines the arrangement position of the terminal device 20 based on the detection result of the signal detection unit 48. The arrangement position determination unit 50A determines the arrangement position of the terminal device 20 based on the level of the echo signal as the detection result of the signal detection unit 48.

[0080] Figure 5 is a line diagram showing an example of a pulse signal and an echo signal. Figure 5 In the graph, the horizontal axis represents time and the vertical axis represents the signal level.

[0081] The detection coil 40 generates a magnetic field for detection when the first signal as a pulse signal is input. When the power receiving unit 22 of the terminal device 20 is located on the detection coil 40 that generates the magnetic field for detection, the echo signal excited by the pulse signal and guided from the power receiving unit 22 to the detection coil 40 after a prescribed time becomes an echo signal above a prescribed level. On the other hand, when the power receiving unit 22 of the terminal device 20 is not located on the detection coil 40 that generates the magnetic field for detection, the echo signal excited by the pulse signal and guided from the power receiving unit 22 to the detection coil 40 after a prescribed time becomes an echo signal below a prescribed level.

[0082] Back to Figure 3 Continue with the explanation.

[0083] The configuration position determination unit 50A determines the configuration position based on the detection result of the echo signal from the terminal device 20 to at least the first detection coil 40A in response to the detection magnetic field generated by the first signal output from the signal output unit 46 to at least the first detection coil 40A.

[0084] In detail, the configuration position determination unit 50A determines to which of the plurality of first detection coils 40A the echo signal responding is above a predetermined level. Through this determination, the configuration position determination unit 50A determines the configuration position of the terminal device 20 within the chargeable estimated range 64 on the placement surface 12A. Specifically, the configuration position determination unit 50A determines the position of the first detection coil 40A that outputs an echo signal above a predetermined level and at a maximum level among the echo signals of the plurality of first detection coils 40A detected by the signal detection unit 48 as the configuration position of the terminal device 20. In the present embodiment, the plurality of first detection coils 40A are arranged along the Y-axis direction. Therefore, the configuration position determination unit 50A determines the position in the Y-axis direction on the placement surface 12A as the configuration position of the terminal device 20.

[0085] The determination unit 50B determines whether or not the terminal device 20 is present in the chargeable estimated range 64 based on the power transmission coil 30 , based on the detection result of the echo signal.

[0086] Figure 6 1 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the positional relationship between the chargeable estimated range 64 and the power receiving unit 22 of the terminal device 20 .

[0087] As described above, the detection range 60 of the detection coil 40 for the terminal device 20 is larger than the movable range 62 and the estimated chargeable range 64. This is because, from the perspective of making the actual chargeable range as large as possible, it is necessary to ensure a detection range 60 larger than the movable range 62 of the power transmission coil 30.

[0088] For example, assume that the power receiving unit 22 of the terminal device 20 is placed in the chargeable estimated range 64. In this case, the power transmission coil 30 is moved to the configuration position of the terminal device 20, thereby wirelessly charging the terminal device 20. Figure 6 As shown, it is assumed that the power receiving unit 22 of the terminal device 20 is placed outside the chargeable estimated range 64. In this case, even if the power transmission coil 30 is moved toward the configuration position of the terminal device 20, the power transmission coil 30 cannot reach a position where the terminal device 20 can be charged. Therefore, in this case, even if the power transmission coil 30 is moved, it is difficult to charge the terminal device 20 through the power transmission coil 30.

[0089] Back to Figure 3 Continue with the explanation.

[0090] Therefore, the determination unit 50B determines whether or not the terminal device 20 is present in the chargeable estimated range 64 based on the power transmission coil 30 based on the detection result of the echo signal by the signal detection unit 48 .

[0091] Specifically, the determination unit 50B receives the detection result of the echo signal from the terminal device 20 to the second detection coil 40B in response to the detection magnetic field generated by the first signal output from the signal output unit 46 to the second detection coil 40B. Then, the determination unit 50B determines whether the terminal device 20 is within the chargeable estimated range 64 based on the detection result.

[0092] Figure 7 40B1 and 40B2 are line graphs showing an example of detection results of echo signals respectively responding to the second detection coil 40B1 and the second detection coil 40B2. Figure 7 In the figure, the horizontal axis represents the offset in the X-axis direction. "0" as the origin of the horizontal axis corresponds to the middle position of the second detection coil 40B1 and the second detection coil 40B2 in the X-axis direction. In addition, the position of the offset X1 on the horizontal axis corresponds to the position of the second detection coil 40B1 in the X-axis direction. The position of the offset X2 on the horizontal axis corresponds to the position of the second detection coil 40B2 in the X-axis direction.

[0093] When the power receiving unit 22 of the terminal device 20 is present in the area corresponding to the second detection coil 40B1 or the second detection coil 40B2 on the placement surface 12A, the echo signals responding to the second detection coil 40B are as follows: Figure 7 As shown in line graph 70A or line graph 70B.

[0094] Therefore, when the echo signal in response to the second detection coil 40B1 or the second detection coil 40B2 is equal to or larger than the threshold value Vth, the determination unit 50B determines that the terminal device 20 is outside the chargeable estimated range 64 on the placement surface 12A.

[0095] In addition, when the echo signal responding to the second detection coil 40B1 and the second detection coil 40B2 is less than the threshold value Vth, the determination unit 50B determines that the terminal device 20 is not outside the chargeable estimated range 64 on the placement surface 12A. That is, in this case, the determination unit 50B determines that the terminal device 20 is within the chargeable estimated range 64.

[0096] Back to Figure 3 Continue with the explanation.

[0097] The moving mechanism control unit 50C controls the moving mechanism 34 based on the detection result of the signal detection unit 48 .

[0098] In the present embodiment, when the determination unit 50B determines based on the detection result that the terminal device 20 is outside the chargeable estimated range 64, the moving mechanism control unit 50C controls the moving mechanism 34 so as not to move the power transmission coil 30. Controlling the moving mechanism 34 so as not to move means not sending a signal related to a movement instruction to the moving mechanism 34.

[0099] When the determination unit 50B determines based on the detection result that the terminal device 20 is present in the chargeable estimated range 64 , the moving mechanism control unit 50C controls the moving mechanism 34 to move the power transmission coil 30 to the arrangement position determined by the arrangement position determination unit 50A.

[0100] That is, in the present embodiment, when the terminal device 20 is within the estimated chargeable range 64, the moving mechanism control unit 50C moves the power transmission coil 30 to the configuration position determined by the configuration position determination unit 50A. On the other hand, when the terminal device 20 is outside the estimated chargeable range 64, the moving mechanism control unit 50C does not move the power transmission coil 30.

[0101] Specifically, in this embodiment, when the configuration position of the terminal device 20 is determined based on the detection result, and when it is determined based on the detection result that the terminal device 20 exists within the chargeable estimated range 64, the moving mechanism control unit 50C controls the moving mechanism 34 to move the power transmission coil 30 to the determined configuration position.

[0102] Therefore, the moving mechanism control unit 50C can avoid unnecessary movement of the power transmission coil 30 when the terminal device 20 is placed outside the chargeable estimated range 64 , that is, at a position where wireless charging is difficult.

[0103] The communication determination unit 50D determines whether the power transmission coil 30 can communicate with the terminal device 20. In this embodiment, when the power transmission coil 30 is moved to the arrangement position of the terminal device 20 under the control of the moving mechanism control unit 50C, the communication determination unit 50D determines whether the power transmission coil 30 can communicate with the terminal device 20.

[0104] The communication determination unit 50D sends a communication signal to the power transmission coil 30 via the AC power supply 42. The communication signal is, for example, PING. PING is a power signal sent from the charging device 10 to start the terminal device 20. When the power transmission coil 30 receives a response signal to the sent communication signal from the power receiving unit 22 of the terminal device 20, it outputs the response signal to the control unit 50 via the AC power supply 42. The communication determination unit 50D of the control unit 50 only needs to determine whether communication is possible by determining the response signal to the communication signal.

[0105] The power transmission control unit 50E controls the power transmission coil 30 to transmit power. In the present embodiment, when the communication determination unit 50D determines that communication is possible, the power transmission control unit 50E controls the power transmission coil 30 to transmit power to the terminal device 20.

[0106] In detail, the power transmission control unit 50E controls the AC power source 42 to supply AC power from the AC power source 42 to the power transmission coil 30. The power transmission coil 30 supplies AC power to the power receiving unit 22 by electromagnetically coupling with the power receiving unit 22 of the terminal device 20. The AC power supplied to the power receiving unit 22 is converted into DC power by a rectifier provided in the terminal device 20 to charge the battery 24. Therefore, the battery 24 of the terminal device 20 is wirelessly charged.

[0107] Next, an example of the flow of the charging process executed by the charging device 10A according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0108] Figure 8 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the charging process executed by the charging device 10A according to the present embodiment.

[0109] The configuration position determination unit 50A determines the configuration position of the terminal device 20 based on the detection result of the signal detection unit 48 (step S100). The configuration position determination unit 50A receives the detection result of the echo signal that responds from the terminal device 20 to the first detection coil 40A in response to the detection magnetic field generated by the first signal output from the signal output unit 46 to the first detection coil 40A. Then, the configuration position determination unit 50A determines the configuration position based on the received detection result.

[0110] The determination unit 50B determines whether the terminal device 20 is within the chargeable estimated range 64 based on the power transmission coil 30 based on the detection result of the echo signal (step S102). The determination unit 50B determines whether the terminal device 20 is within the chargeable estimated range 64 by determining whether the echo signal responding to the second detection coil 40B1 and the second detection coil 40B2 is less than the threshold value Vth.

[0111] If it is determined that the terminal device 20 is outside the chargeable estimated range 64 (step S102: No), the process proceeds to step S104. In step 104, the moving mechanism control unit 50C controls the moving mechanism 34 so as not to move the power transmission coil 30 (step S104). That is, the moving mechanism control unit 50C does not send a signal related to the movement instruction to the moving mechanism 34. Then, the process returns to the above step S100.

[0112] On the other hand, when it is determined that the terminal device 20 is present in the chargeable estimated range 64 (step S102: Yes), the process proceeds to step S106. In step S106, the moving mechanism control unit 50C controls the moving mechanism 34 to move the power transmission coil 30 to the configuration position determined in step S100 (step S106). Through the processing of step S106, the power transmission coil 30 moves to the configuration position of the terminal device 20.

[0113] Next, the communication determination unit 50D determines whether the power transmission coil 30 can communicate with the terminal device 20 (step S108). When the power transmission coil 30 reaches the configuration position of the terminal device 20 through the process of step S106, the communication determination unit 50D determines whether the power transmission coil 30 can communicate with the terminal device 20. As described above, the communication determination unit 50D determines whether the power transmission coil 30 can communicate with the terminal device 20 by using PING as a communication signal, for example.

[0114] When the communication determination unit 50D determines that communication is not possible (step S108: No), the process returns to the above-mentioned step S100. When the communication determination unit 50D determines that communication is possible (step S108: Yes), the process proceeds to step S110.

[0115] In step S110, the power transmission control unit 50E causes the power transmission coil 30 to transmit electric power (step S110). Through the process of step S110, wireless charging of the battery 24 of the terminal device 20 is started. Then, this routine ends.

[0116] As described above, the charging device 10A of this embodiment is a charging device 10 that wirelessly charges the terminal device 20 that is arranged on the placement surface 12A and has a power receiving unit 22 that receives wirelessly transmitted power. The charging device 10A of this embodiment includes a power transmission coil 30, a power transmission control unit 50E, a detection coil 40, a signal output unit 46, and a determination unit 50B.

[0117] The power transmission coil 30 transmits electric power to the terminal device 20. The power transmission control unit 50E causes the power transmission coil 30 to transmit electric power. The detection coil 40 is a coil for detecting the configuration position of the terminal device 20 on the mounting surface 12A. The signal output unit 46 outputs a first signal for generating a magnetic field for detection to the detection coil 40. The signal detection unit 48 detects an echo signal that responds from the terminal device 20 to the detection coil 40 in response to the magnetic field for detection. The determination unit 50B determines whether the terminal device 20 is present in the chargeable estimated range 64 based on the power transmission coil 30 based on the detection result of the echo signal.

[0118] In the prior art, wireless charging is sometimes started unconditionally when the terminal device 20 is placed on the placement surface 12A. In addition, in the prior art, regardless of whether the configuration position of the terminal device 20 is within the chargeable estimated range 64, the power transmission coil is started to move toward the configuration position of the terminal device 20 placed on the placement surface 12A, thereby starting wireless charging from the power transmission coil toward the terminal device. Therefore, in the prior art, there is a situation where the power transmission coil is moved and wireless charging is started even when the terminal device 20 is placed in a position where wireless charging is difficult, thereby increasing power consumption.

[0119] On the other hand, in the charging device 10A of the present embodiment, the determination unit 50B determines whether the terminal device 20 is present in the chargeable estimated range 64 based on the power transmission coil 30 .

[0120] Therefore, in the charging device 10A of the present embodiment, the determination result of whether the terminal device 20 is present in the chargeable estimated range 64 can be used to control wireless charging and the movement of the power transmission coil 30. That is, in the charging device 10A, it is possible to suppress unnecessary movement of the power transmission coil 30, unnecessary start of wireless charging, and other controls.

[0121] Therefore, the charging device 10A according to the present embodiment can achieve power saving.

[0122] In addition, the charging device 10A of this embodiment can include a placement position determination unit 50A and a moving mechanism control unit 50C. The placement position determination unit 50A determines the placement position of the terminal device 20 based on the detection result of the signal detection unit 48. The moving mechanism 34 moves the power transmission coil 30. The moving mechanism control unit 50C controls the moving mechanism 34 based on the detection result.

[0123] Specifically, when it is determined that the terminal device 20 is outside the estimated chargeable range 64, the configuration position determination unit 50A controls the moving mechanism 34 so as not to move the power transmission coil 30. In addition, when it is determined that the terminal device 20 is within the estimated chargeable range 64, the configuration position determination unit 50A controls the moving mechanism 34 so as to move the power transmission coil 30 to the configuration position of the terminal device 20.

[0124] In the prior art having a moving mechanism 34 for the power transmission coil 30, regardless of whether the configuration position of the terminal device 20 is within the estimated chargeable range 64, the power transmission coil 30 starts to move toward the configuration position of the terminal device 20 placed on the placement surface 12A, thereby starting wireless charging from the power transmission coil 30 toward the terminal device 20.

[0125] Fig. 9 This is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of charging control by a conventional charging device.

[0126] When the control unit of the conventional charging device determines the configuration position of the terminal device 20 (step S1000), it controls the power transmission coil 30 to move to the configuration position (step S1020). Then, the control unit of the conventional charging device determines whether the power transmission coil 30 controlled to move to the configuration position can communicate with the terminal device 20 (step S1040). When the control unit determines that communication is not possible (step S1040: "No"), it returns to step S1000. When the control unit determines that communication is possible (step S1040: "Yes"), it transmits power to the terminal device 20 (step S1060), and ends this routine.

[0127] like Fig. 9 As shown, in the charging control of the conventional charging device, the power transmission coil 30 is started to move toward the configuration position of the terminal device 20 placed on the placement surface 12A without determining whether the terminal device 20 is present in the chargeable estimated range 64 based on the power transmission coil 30. Therefore, in the prior art, even when the terminal device 20 is placed at a position where wireless charging is not possible, the power transmission coil 30 is controlled to move, and the power consumption generated by the motor driving of the drive motor 34A and the drive motor 34B increases.

[0128] On the other hand, in the charging device 10A of the present embodiment, it is determined whether the terminal device 20 is present in the estimated chargeable range 64 based on the power transmission coil 30. Then, when the charging device 10A determines that the terminal device 20 is present in the estimated chargeable range 64, the moving mechanism 34 is controlled to move the power transmission coil 30 to the configuration position of the terminal device 20.

[0129] Therefore, the charging device 10A of the present embodiment can suppress unnecessary movement of the power transmission coil 30. That is, the charging device 10A of the present embodiment can effectively achieve power saving in addition to the above-mentioned effects.

[0130] Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B It is an explanatory diagram of an example of the effect of the charging device 10A according to the present embodiment. Fig. 10A It is an explanatory diagram of an example of control contents of a conventional charging device when the power receiving unit 22 of the terminal device 20 is located in each area of ​​the space on the placement surface 12A. Fig. 10B It is an explanatory diagram of an example of control contents of the charging device 10A according to the present embodiment when the power receiving unit 22 of the terminal device 20 is located in each area of ​​the space on the placement surface 12A.

[0131] exist Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B In FIG. 1 , the horizontal axis represents the distance in the X-axis direction on the mounting surface 12A. Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B , the distance in the X-axis direction is shown with the midpoint between the second detection coil 40B1 and the second detection coil 40B2 in the X-axis direction of the placing surface 12A as the origin "0". The vertical axis represents the distance in the Z-axis direction between the placing surface 12A and the power receiving unit 22 of the terminal device 20 when the placing surface 12A is the origin "0".

[0132] exist Fig. 10A and Fig. 10B In FIG. 1 , region 72 indicates a region where charging is started in actual space. Region 74 indicates a region where charging is not started even though the arrangement position is detected by the detection coil 40. Region 76 indicates a region where the control movement of the power transmission coil 30 and charging is not started.

[0133] like Fig. 10B As shown, in the charging device 10A of this embodiment, Fig. 10A Compared with the conventional charging apparatus shown, the range of region 76 in which the control movement of power transmission coil 30 is not performed in the space on placement surface 12A is larger.

[0134] Therefore, it can be said that the charging device 10A of the present embodiment can effectively achieve power saving compared with the conventional charging device.

[0135] (Second Embodiment)

[0136] In the present embodiment, a method is described in which, when it is determined that the power transmission coil 30 moved to the arrangement position cannot communicate with the terminal device 20 , it is determined whether the terminal device 20 is present in the chargeable estimated range 64 .

[0137] In the present embodiment, parts having the same functions or the same configurations as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the above embodiment, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0138] Figure 3 10B is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a charging device 10B according to the present embodiment. The charging device 10B is an example of the charging device 10 .

[0139] The charging device 10B has the same configuration as the charging device 10A of the above-described embodiment except that it includes a control unit 52 instead of the control unit 50 .

[0140] The control unit 52 includes a configuration position determination unit 50A, a determination unit 52B, a moving mechanism control unit 52C, a communication determination unit 50D, and a power transmission control unit 50E. The control unit 52 is the same as the control unit 50 of the above embodiment except that the control unit 52 includes a determination unit 52B instead of the determination unit 50B and a moving mechanism control unit 52C instead of the moving mechanism control unit 50C.

[0141] The moving mechanism control unit 52C controls the moving mechanism 34 based on the detection result of the signal detection unit 48 , similarly to the moving mechanism control unit 50C of the above-described embodiment.

[0142] In the present embodiment, when the arrangement position determination unit 50A determines the arrangement position of the terminal device 20 based on the detection result of the signal detection unit 48 , the moving mechanism control unit 52C controls the moving mechanism 34 to move the power transmission coil 30 to the arrangement position.

[0143] That is, in this embodiment, before determining whether the terminal device 20 is present in the chargeable estimated range 64, the moving mechanism control unit 52C controls the moving mechanism 34 to move the power transmission coil 30 to the determined configuration position. The moving mechanism control unit 52C controls the moving mechanism 34 in the same manner as the moving mechanism control unit 50C except that the timing of controlling the movement of the moving mechanism 34 is different from that of the moving mechanism control unit 50C in the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0144] The determination unit 52B determines whether the terminal device 20 is present in the chargeable estimated range 64 by the power transmission coil 30 based on the detection result of the echo signal by the signal detection unit 48 , similarly to the determination unit 50B of the above embodiment.

[0145] Specifically, the determination unit 52B receives the detection result of the echo signal from the terminal device 20 to the second detection coil 40B in response to the detection magnetic field generated by the first signal output from the signal output unit 46 to the second detection coil 40B, similarly to the determination unit 50B. Then, the determination unit 52B determines whether the terminal device 20 is present in the chargeable estimated range 64 based on the detection result.

[0146] In the present embodiment, when determining that the power transmission coil 30 controlled to move to the arrangement position cannot communicate with the terminal device 20 , the determination unit 52B determines whether the terminal device 20 is within the chargeable estimated range 64 based on the detection result of the signal detection unit 48 .

[0147] That is, in the present embodiment, when the power transmission coil 30 is controlled to move toward the configuration position and it is determined that communication with the terminal device 20 is impossible, the determination unit 52B determines whether the terminal device 20 is present in the chargeable estimated range 64. The determination unit 52B may determine whether the terminal device 20 is present in the chargeable estimated range 64 in the same manner as the determination unit 50B, except that the timing of the determination is different from that of the determination unit 50B in the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0148] Next, an example of the flow of the charging process executed by the charging device 10B of the present embodiment will be described.

[0149] Fig.11 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the charging process executed by the charging device 10B according to the present embodiment.

[0150] The arrangement position determination unit 50A determines the arrangement position of the terminal device 20 based on the detection result of the signal detection unit 48 (step S200). The arrangement position determination unit 50A is similar to step S100 of the above embodiment (see step S200). Figure 8 ) Similarly, determine the configuration position of the terminal device 20.

[0151] The moving mechanism control unit 52C controls the moving mechanism 34 to move the power transmission coil 30 to the arrangement position determined in step S200 (step S202 ). By the process in step S202 , the power transmission coil 30 is controlled to move toward the arrangement position of the terminal device 20 .

[0152] The communication determination unit 50D determines whether the power transmission coil 30 can communicate with the terminal device 20 (step S204). The communication determination unit 50D determines whether the power transmission coil 30 can communicate with the terminal device 20 by using PING as a communication signal, similarly to the above embodiment.

[0153] When the communication determination unit 50D determines that communication is possible (step S204: Yes), the process proceeds to step S206. In step S206, the power transmission control unit 50E causes the power transmission coil 30 to transmit power (step S206). By processing in step S206, wireless charging of the battery 24 of the terminal device 20 is started. Then, this routine ends.

[0154] On the other hand, when the communication determination unit 50D determines that communication is not possible (step S204: No), the process proceeds to step S208. In step S208, the arrangement position determination unit 50A determines the arrangement position of the terminal device 20 based on the detection result of the signal detection unit 48 (step S208). The process of step S208 is the same as that of the above step S200.

[0155] Next, the determination unit 52B determines whether the terminal device 20 is present in the chargeable estimated range 64 based on the power transmission coil 30 based on the detection result of the echo signal (step S210). The determination unit 52B determines whether the terminal device 20 is present in the chargeable estimated range 64 by determining whether the echo signal responding to the second detection coil 40B1 and the second detection coil 40B2 is less than the threshold value Vth, similarly to the determination unit 50B of the above embodiment.

[0156] If it is determined that the terminal device 20 is within the chargeable estimated range 64 (step S210: Yes), the process proceeds to step S202. If it is determined that the terminal device 20 is outside the chargeable estimated range 64 (step S210: No), the process proceeds to step S208.

[0157] As described above, in the charging device 10B of the present embodiment, when the configuration position of the terminal device 20 is determined based on the detection result, the moving mechanism control unit 52C controls the moving mechanism 34 to move the power transmission coil 30 to the configuration position. When it is determined that the power transmission coil 30 controlled to move to the configuration position cannot communicate with the terminal device 20, the determination unit 52B determines whether the terminal device 20 is present in the chargeable estimated range 64 based on the detection result of the signal detection unit 48.

[0158] Here, in the conventional technology including the moving mechanism 34 of the power transmission coil 30 , when it is determined that the power transmission coil 30 and the terminal device 20 cannot communicate, the control movement of the power transmission coil 30 is repeatedly performed until it is determined that communication is possible.

[0159] In detail, Fig. 9 As shown in the flowchart of charging control of the conventional charging device shown, in the prior art, the control movement of the power transmission coil 30 is repeatedly executed (see step S1040: "No", step S1000, step S1020) until it is determined that communication is possible (step S1040: "Yes").

[0160] On the other hand, in the charging device 10B of the present embodiment, the moving mechanism control unit 52C controls the power transmission coil 30 to move toward the configuration position, and after the communication determination unit 50D determines that communication is impossible, determines whether the terminal device 20 is present in the chargeable estimated range 64 (see Fig.11 ) Furthermore, in the charging device 10B of the present embodiment, when it is determined that the terminal device 20 is present in the chargeable estimated range 64 , the moving mechanism 34 is controlled to move the power transmission coil 30 to the arrangement position.

[0161] Therefore, the charging device 10B of this embodiment can suppress unnecessary repetition of movement of the power transmission coil 30 compared with the conventional charging device. That is, the charging device 10B of this embodiment can effectively achieve power saving similarly to the charging device 10A of the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0162] Furthermore, the charging device 10B of the present embodiment can minimize the movement of the power transmission coil 30 and expand the range of the chargeable region on the placement surface 12A, compared with the charging device 10A of the above-described embodiment.

[0163] Fig. 12A and Fig. 12B This is an explanatory diagram of an example of the effect of the charging device 10B according to the present embodiment. Fig. 12A It is an explanatory diagram of an example of control contents of a conventional charging device when the power receiving unit 22 of the terminal device 20 is located in each area of ​​the space on the placement surface 12A. Fig. 12B It is an explanatory diagram of an example of control contents of the charging device 10B according to the present embodiment when the power receiving unit 22 of the terminal device 20 is located in each area of ​​the space on the placement surface 12A.

[0164] exist Fig. 12A and Fig. 12B In FIG. 1 , the horizontal axis represents the distance in the X-axis direction on the mounting surface 12A. Fig. 12A and Fig. 12B , the distance in the X-axis direction is shown with the midpoint between the second detection coil 40B1 and the second detection coil 40B2 in the X-axis direction of the placing surface 12A as the origin "0". The vertical axis represents the distance in the Z-axis direction between the placing surface 12A and the power receiving unit 22 of the terminal device 20 when the placing surface 12A is the origin "0".

[0165] exist Fig. 12A and Fig. 12B In the embodiment, area 72, area 74, and area 76 are the same as those in the above embodiment. That is, area 72 represents the area where charging starts in the actual space. Area 74 represents the area where the configuration position is detected by the detection coil 40 but charging does not start. Area 76 represents the area where the control movement of the power transmission coil 30 is not performed and charging does not start. Fig. 12B In FIG. 1 , area 78 indicates an area in which charging is started without controlling and moving the power transmission coil 30 if communication between the power transmission coil 30 and the power reception unit 22 is possible.

[0166] like Fig. 12B As shown, in the charging device 10B of this embodiment, Fig. 12A Compared with the conventional charging device shown, the area 76 in which the power transmission coil 30 is not controlled and moved in the space on the placement surface 12A is larger. Therefore, it can be said that the charging device 10B of this embodiment can effectively achieve power saving compared with the conventional charging device.

[0167] In addition, if Fig. 12B As shown, in the charging device 10B of this embodiment, Fig. 10B Compared with the charging device 10A of the above embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , the range of the charging start area indicated by the area 72 and the area 78 is larger. Therefore, it can be said that the charging device 10B of this embodiment can suppress the movement of the power transmission coil 30 to a minimum and expand the range of the chargeable area on the placement surface 12A compared with the charging device 10A of the above embodiment.

[0168] (Third Embodiment)

[0169] In the present embodiment, a method will be described in which the level of a communication signal used to determine whether communication with the power transmission coil 30 is possible is adjusted.

[0170] In the present embodiment, parts having the same functions or the same configurations as those in the above embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the above embodiment, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0171] Figure 3 10C is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a charging device 10C according to the present embodiment. The charging device 10C is an example of the charging device 10 .

[0172] The charging device 10C has the same configuration as the charging device 10A of the above-described embodiment except that it includes a control unit 53 instead of the control unit 50 .

[0173] The control unit 53 includes an arrangement position determination unit 50A, a determination unit 53B, a movement mechanism control unit 52C, a communication determination unit 53D, and a power transmission control unit 50E. The arrangement position determination unit 50A, the movement mechanism control unit 52C, and the power transmission control unit 50E are the same as those in the above embodiment.

[0174] When the power transmission coil 30 is controlled by the movement mechanism control unit 52C to move to the arrangement position determined by the arrangement position determination unit 50A, the determination unit 53B determines whether the terminal device 20 is present in the chargeable estimated range 64 based on the detection result of the signal detection unit 48 .

[0175] The determination unit 53B may determine whether the terminal device 20 is present in the chargeable estimated range 64 in the same manner as the determination unit 50B, except that the timing of determination is different from that of the determination unit 50B in the above-described embodiment.

[0176] The communication determination unit 53D determines whether the power transmission coil 30 can communicate with the terminal device 20, similarly to the communication determination unit 50D. The communication determination unit 53D determines whether communication with the terminal device 20 is possible, similarly to the communication determination unit 50D, using a communication signal such as PING.

[0177] In the present embodiment, the communication determination unit 53D determines whether or not communication with the terminal device 20 is possible using a communication signal of a voltage level according to the determination result of the determination unit 53B.

[0178] Specifically, when determining that the terminal device 20 is present in the chargeable estimated range 64 , the communication determination unit 53D uses a communication signal of a first voltage equal to or lower than a first threshold value to determine whether the power transmission coil 30 controlled to move to the configuration position can communicate with the terminal device 20 .

[0179] In addition, when it is determined that the terminal device 20 is outside the estimated chargeable range 64, the communication determination unit 53D uses a communication signal of a second voltage above a second threshold to determine whether the power transmission coil 30 controlled to move to the configuration position can communicate with the terminal device 20, and the second threshold is greater than the first threshold.

[0180] The first threshold value may be determined in advance. For example, the first threshold value may be determined in advance to a value at which a communication signal having a first voltage equal to or less than the first threshold value becomes a voltage level of a communication signal used in normal communication confirmation.

[0181] The second threshold value may be determined in advance to be a value greater than the first threshold value. For example, the second threshold value may be determined in advance to be a value such that the communication signal of the second voltage above the second threshold value exceeds the voltage level of the communication signal used in normal communication confirmation and is a voltage level at which the terminal device 20 will not be electrically damaged by the high voltage when reaching the power receiving unit 22 of the terminal device 20.

[0182] Then, the control unit 53 of the charging device 10C may start wireless charging of the terminal device 20 when determining that communication is possible based on the communication signal of the first voltage or the communication signal of the second voltage.

[0183] Next, an example of the flow of the charging process executed by the charging device 10C of the present embodiment will be described.

[0184] Fig.13 This is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of the charging process executed by the charging device 10C of the present embodiment.

[0185] The arrangement position determination unit 50A determines the arrangement position of the terminal device 20 based on the detection result of the signal detection unit 48 (step S300). The arrangement position determination unit 50A is similar to step S100 of the above embodiment (see step S300). Figure 8 ) Similarly, determine the configuration position of the terminal device 20.

[0186] The moving mechanism control unit 52C controls the moving mechanism 34 to move the power transmission coil 30 to the arrangement position determined in step S300 (step S302 ). By the process in step S302 , the power transmission coil 30 is controlled to move toward the arrangement position of the terminal device 20 .

[0187] Next, the determination unit 53B determines whether the terminal device 20 is present in the chargeable estimated range 64 based on the power transmission coil 30 based on the detection result of the echo signal (step S304). The determination unit 53B determines whether the terminal device 20 is present in the chargeable estimated range 64 by determining whether the echo signal responding to the second detection coil 40B1 and the second detection coil 40B2 is less than the threshold value Vth, similarly to the determination unit 50B of the above embodiment.

[0188] When it is determined that the terminal device 20 is present in the chargeable estimated range 64 (step S304 : Yes), the process proceeds to step S306 .

[0189] In step S306, the communication determination unit 53D uses the communication signal of the first voltage below the first threshold value to determine whether the power transmission coil 30 can communicate with the terminal device 20 within the estimated chargeable range 64 (step S306). When it is determined in step S306 that communication is possible (step S306: "Yes"), the process proceeds to step S310 described later. When it is determined in step S306 that communication is not possible (step S306: "No"), the process returns to step S300 described above.

[0190] On the other hand, when it is determined that the terminal device 20 is outside the chargeable estimated range 64 (step S304 : No), the process proceeds to step S308 .

[0191] In step S308, the communication determination unit 53D uses the communication signal of the second voltage that is greater than the second threshold value to determine whether the power transmission coil 30 can communicate with the terminal device 20 outside the estimated chargeable range 64 (step S308). If it is determined in step S308 that communication is not possible (step S308: No), the process returns to the above-mentioned step S300. If it is determined in step S308 that communication is possible (step S308: Yes), the process proceeds to step S310.

[0192] In step S310, the power transmission control unit 50E causes the power transmission coil 30 to transmit electric power (step S310). Through the process of step S310, wireless charging of the battery 24 of the terminal device 20 is started. Then, this routine ends.

[0193] As described above, in the charging device 10C of the present embodiment, when the power transmission coil 30 is controlled to move to the configuration position, the determination unit 53B determines whether the terminal device 20 exists in the chargeable estimated range 64 based on the detection result. When it is determined that the terminal device 20 exists in the chargeable estimated range 64, the communication determination unit 50D uses a communication signal of a first voltage below the first threshold value to determine whether the power transmission coil 30 controlled to move to the configuration position can communicate with the terminal device 20. In addition, when it is determined that the terminal device 20 exists outside the chargeable estimated range 64, the communication determination unit 50D uses a communication signal of a second voltage above the second threshold value to determine whether the power transmission coil 30 controlled to move to the configuration position can communicate with the terminal device 20, and the second threshold value is greater than the first threshold value.

[0194] Here, in the prior art having the moving mechanism 34 of the power transmission coil 30, when it is determined that the power transmission coil 30 and the terminal device 20 cannot communicate, the control movement of the power transmission coil 30 is repeatedly performed until it is determined that communication is possible. Fig. 9 As shown in the flowchart of the conventional charging control shown in FIG. 1 , in the prior art, the control movement of the power transmission coil 30 is repeatedly executed (see step S1040: No, step S1000, step S1020) until it is determined that communication is possible (step S1040: Yes).

[0195] On the other hand, in the charging device 10C of the present embodiment, the communication signal of the second voltage is used to determine whether the power transmission coil 30 can communicate with the terminal device 20, depending on whether the terminal device 20 exists in the chargeable estimated range 64. That is, when the charging device 10C determines that the terminal device 20 exists outside the chargeable estimated range 64, it uses the communication signal of the second voltage above the second threshold value to determine whether the power transmission coil 30 can communicate with the terminal device 20, and the second threshold value is greater than the first threshold value. In addition, in the charging device 10C, when it is determined that communication is possible, wireless charging of the terminal device 20 is started, and when it is determined that communication is not possible, the configuration position of the terminal device 20 is determined and the control movement of the power transmission coil 30 is executed.

[0196] As described above, the charging device 10C of the present embodiment determines whether communication with the terminal device 20 is possible using communication signals of different voltage levels depending on whether the terminal device 20 is within or outside the chargeable estimated range 64 .

[0197] Therefore, the charging device 10C of this embodiment can suppress repeated unnecessary movement of the power transmission coil 30 compared to the conventional charging device. That is, the charging device 10C of this embodiment can effectively achieve power saving similarly to the charging device 10A of the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0198] In addition, the charging device 10C of the present embodiment uses a communication signal of a second voltage greater than a second threshold value to determine whether the power transmission coil 30 can communicate with the terminal device 20 when it is determined that the terminal device 20 is outside the chargeable estimated range 64. The second threshold value is greater than the first threshold value. Therefore, compared with a method in which wireless charging is not started when the terminal device 20 is outside the chargeable estimated range 64, it is possible to expand the area in the space on the placement surface 12A where charging can be started.

[0199] (Variant 1)

[0200] In the above embodiment, the detection coil 40 is described as an example in which the detection coil 40 is composed of the first detection coil 40A and the second detection coil 40B. In this modification, a plurality of detection coils 40 are arranged to extend in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction and to intersect each other.

[0201] In the present modification, parts having the same functions or the same configurations as those in the above-described embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the above-described embodiment, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

[0202] Fig.14 10D is a block diagram showing an example of a configuration of a charging device 10D according to the present modification. The charging device 10D is an example of the charging device 10 .

[0203] The charging device 10D has the same configuration as the charging devices 10A to 10C of the above-described embodiments except that the detection coil 40 includes a plurality of coils 41 instead of the first detection coil 40A and the second detection coil 40B and includes a control unit 54 instead of the control unit 50 .

[0204] In this variation, the detection coil 40 is composed of a plurality of coils 41 extending in a first direction (X-axis direction) in a two-dimensional plane along the mounting surface 12A and arranged in a second direction (Y-axis direction) intersecting the first direction, and a plurality of coils 41 extending in the second direction (Y-axis direction) and arranged in a first direction (X-axis direction).

[0205] Specifically, the coil 41 includes a coil 41A and a coil 41B.

[0206] The coil 41A is a coil extending in the Y-axis direction and arranged in a plurality along the X-axis direction. The coil 41B is a coil extending in the X-axis direction and arranged in a plurality along the Y-axis direction.

[0207] In this modification, the detection range 60 on the mounting surface 12A is an area where the detection coil 40 is arranged, and the detection coil 40 is a coil 41 composed of these multiple coils 41A and multiple coils 41B. The detection range 60 is the same as the above-mentioned embodiment, which includes the entire area of ​​the movable range 62 and the chargeable estimated range 64 and is a range larger than these ranges.

[0208] The detection coil 40 composed of a plurality of coils 41 is electrically connected to each of a signal output unit 46 and a signal detection unit 48 via a selector 44. The signal output unit 46 and the signal detection unit 48 are the same as those in the above-described embodiment.

[0209] The control unit 54 includes an arrangement position specifying unit 54A, a determining unit 54B, a moving mechanism control unit 54C, a communication determining unit 54D, and a power transmission control unit 54E.

[0210] The configuration position determination unit 54A determines the configuration position of the terminal device 20 based on the detection result of the signal detection unit 48, similarly to the configuration position determination unit 50A of the above-mentioned embodiment. The configuration position determination unit 54A determines the configuration position of the terminal device 20 based on the level of the echo signal as the detection result of the signal detection unit 48, similarly to the configuration position determination unit 50A.

[0211] In this variation, the configuration position determination unit 54A determines the configuration position based on the detection result of the echo signal that responds from the terminal device 20 to the coil 41 in response to the detection magnetic field generated by the first signal output from the signal output unit 46 to each coil 41 included in the detection coil 40.

[0212] In detail, the configuration position determination unit 54A determines which coil 41A among the plurality of coils 41A arranged along the X-axis direction responds to an echo signal that is at or above a predetermined level. Through this determination, the configuration position determination unit 54A determines the position of the terminal device 20 in the X-axis direction within the detection range 60 on the placement surface 12A. Specifically, the configuration position determination unit 54A determines the position of the coil 41A that outputs an echo signal that is at or above a predetermined level and has the maximum level among the echo signals of the plurality of coils 41A detected by the signal detection unit 48 as the position of the terminal device 20 in the X-axis direction.

[0213] In addition, the configuration position determination unit 54A determines which coil 41B among the plurality of coils 41B arranged along the Y-axis direction responds to an echo signal that is at or above a predetermined level. Through this determination, the configuration position determination unit 54A determines the position of the terminal device 20 in the Y-axis direction within the detection range 60 on the placement surface 12A. Specifically, the configuration position determination unit 54A determines the position of the coil 41B that outputs an echo signal that is at or above a predetermined level and has a maximum level among the echo signals of the plurality of coils 41B detected by the signal detection unit 48 as the position of the terminal device 20 in the Y-axis direction.

[0214] Through these processes, the arrangement position specifying unit 54A specifies the arrangement position of the terminal device 20 represented by the position in the X-axis direction and the position in the Y-axis direction in the two-dimensional plane of the placement surface 12A.

[0215] The arrangement position specifying unit 54A specifies the arrangement position of the terminal device 20 at the same timing as the arrangement position specifying unit 50A of the above-described embodiment, except that the method of specifying the arrangement position of the terminal device 20 is different.

[0216] The determination unit 54B determines whether the terminal device 20 is present in the chargeable estimated range 64 based on the power transmission coil 30 based on the detection result of the echo signal, similarly to the determination units 50B, 52B, and 54B of the above-described embodiment.

[0217] In this modification, the determination unit 54B uses the configuration position of the terminal device 20 determined by the configuration position determination unit 54A based on the detection result of the echo signal to perform the determination process. As described above, in this embodiment, the configuration position determination unit 54A determines the configuration position of the terminal device 20 represented by the position in the X-axis direction and the position in the Y-axis direction in the two-dimensional plane of the placement surface 12A. Therefore, the determination unit 54B determines whether the terminal device 20 is within the chargeable estimated range 64 by determining whether the configuration position determined by the configuration position determination unit 54A is within the range of the pre-stored chargeable estimated range 64.

[0218] The determination unit 54B determines whether the terminal device 20 is within the estimated chargeable range 64 at the same timing as the determination units 50B, 52B, and 53B of the above-mentioned embodiment, except that the determination method of whether the terminal device 20 is within the estimated chargeable range 64 is different from that of the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0219] The processing of the moving mechanism control unit 54C, the communication determination unit 54D, and the power transmission control unit 54E is the same as that of the above-mentioned embodiment. That is, the moving mechanism control unit 54C is the same as the moving mechanism control unit 50C or the moving mechanism control unit 52C of the above-mentioned embodiment. The communication determination unit 54D is the same as the communication determination unit 50D or the communication determination unit 53D of the above-mentioned embodiment. In addition, the power transmission control unit 54E is the same as the power transmission control unit 50E of the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0220] In the control unit 54 of the charging device 10D of this variation, the same processing as the control units 50, 52 and 53 of the above-mentioned embodiment is performed, except that the configuration position determination method of the configuration position determination unit 54A and the determination method of the determination unit 54B are different from those of the above-mentioned embodiment.

[0221] As described above, even when the position represented by the position in the X-axis direction and the position in the Y-axis direction in the two-dimensional plane of the placement surface 12A is used as the arrangement position of the terminal device 20 , power saving can be achieved similarly to the above embodiment.

[0222] In addition, the embodiments and modifications are described above, but the embodiments and modifications are presented as examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The new embodiments and modifications can be implemented in various other ways, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the scope of the invention. The embodiments and modifications are included in the scope or spirit of the invention, and are included in the invention described in the claims and the scope of the invention and its equivalent.

[0223] Description of Reference Numerals

[0224] 10, 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D: charging device; 20: terminal device; 22: power receiving unit; 30: power transmission coil; 34: moving mechanism; 46: signal output unit; 48: signal detection unit; 50A, 54A: configuration position determination unit; 50B, 52B, 53B, 54B: determination unit; 50C, 52C, 54C: moving mechanism control unit; 50D, 53D, 54D: communication determination unit; 50E, 54E: power transmission control unit.

Claims

1. A charging device that wirelessly charges a terminal device that is disposed on a placement surface and includes a power receiving unit that receives wirelessly transmitted power, the charging device comprising: a power transmission coil for transmitting power to the terminal device; a power transmission control unit configured to cause the power transmission coil to transmit electric power; A detection coil, which is used to detect the configuration position of the terminal device on the mounting surface; A signal output unit, which outputs a first signal for generating a magnetic field for detection to the detection coil; a signal detection unit for detecting an echo signal which responds from the terminal device to the detection coil in response to the detection magnetic field; as well as A determination unit determines whether the terminal device is present within a chargeable estimated range based on the power transmission coil based on the detection result of the echo signal.

2. The charging device according to claim 1, further comprising: a configuration position determination unit configured to determine the configuration position based on the detection result of the signal detection unit; a moving mechanism that moves the power transmission coil; and A moving mechanism control unit controls the moving mechanism based on the detection result.

3. The charging device according to claim 2, wherein: When it is determined that the terminal device is outside the chargeable estimated range, the moving mechanism control unit controls the moving mechanism so as not to move the power transmission coil. When it is determined that the terminal device is present in the chargeable estimated range, the moving mechanism control unit controls the moving mechanism to move the power transmission coil to the arrangement position.

4. The charging device according to claim 2, wherein: When the arrangement position is determined based on the detection result and when it is determined based on the detection result that the terminal device exists in the chargeable estimated range, the moving mechanism control unit controls the moving mechanism to move the power transmission coil to the arrangement position.

5. The charging device according to claim 2, wherein: further comprising a communication determination unit for determining whether the power transmission coil moved to the configuration position can communicate with the terminal device, When it is determined that communication is possible, the power transmission control unit controls the power transmission coil to transmit electric power to the terminal device.

6. The charging device according to claim 5, wherein: When the arrangement position is determined based on the detection result, the moving mechanism control unit controls the moving mechanism to move the power transmission coil to the arrangement position. When it is determined that the power transmission coil controlled to move to the arrangement position cannot communicate with the terminal device, the determination unit determines whether the terminal device is present in the chargeable estimated range based on the detection result.

7. The charging device according to claim 5, wherein: When the power transmission coil is controlled to move to the arrangement position, the determination unit determines whether the terminal device is present in the chargeable estimated range based on the detection result. When it is determined that the terminal device is present within the estimated chargeable range, the communication determination unit uses a communication signal of a first voltage below a first threshold value to determine whether the power transmission coil controlled to move to the configuration position is capable of communicating with the terminal device. When it is determined that the terminal device is outside the estimated chargeable range, the communication determination unit uses a communication signal of a second voltage above a second threshold to determine whether the power transmission coil controlled to move to the configuration position is able to communicate with the terminal device, and the second threshold is greater than the first threshold.

8. The charging device according to claim 2, wherein: The detection coil has: a first detection coil for detecting the configuration position of the terminal device within the estimated chargeable range on the placement surface; and a second detection coil for detecting the configuration position of the terminal device outside the chargeable estimated range on the placement surface, The configuration position determination unit determines the configuration position based on the detection result of the echo signal that responds from the terminal device to at least the first detection coil in response to the detection magnetic field generated by the first signal output from the signal output unit at least to the first detection coil. The determination unit determines whether the terminal device is within the chargeable estimated range based on the detection result of the echo signal that responds from the terminal device to the second detection coil in response to the detection magnetic field generated by the first signal output from the signal output unit to the second detection coil.

9. The charging device according to claim 8, wherein: The first detection coil extends in a first direction in a two-dimensional plane along the mounting surface, and a plurality of the first detection coils are arranged along a second direction in the two-dimensional plane intersecting the first direction. The second detection coil extends in the second direction and is disposed at two ends of the first detection coil in the first direction.

10. The charging device according to claim 2, wherein: The detection coil is composed of a plurality of coils extending in a first direction in a two-dimensional plane along the mounting surface and arranged in a second direction intersecting the first direction, and a plurality of coils extending in the second direction and arranged in the first direction. The configuration position determination unit determines the configuration position based on the detection result of the echo signal that responds from the terminal device to the detection coil in response to the detection magnetic field generated by the first signal output from the signal output unit to the detection coil. The determination unit determines whether the terminal device is within the chargeable estimated range based on the detection result of the echo signal that responds from the terminal device to the detection coil in response to the detection magnetic field generated by the first signal output from the signal output unit to the detection coil.

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