Power transmission device and method

Abstract

To provide a highly convenient wireless power transmission system in which a plurality of communication methods can be used for control communication.SOLUTION: A power transmission device has a first communication function for communicating with a power reception device and a second communication function for communicating with the power reception device at a radio frequency different from that of the first communication function, and determines whether to use the first communication function or the second communication function for communication to control wireless power transmission, based on apparatus information obtained from the power reception device through communication using the first communication function.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wireless power transmission system. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, devices having wireless communication functions and wireless power transmission functions have been considered. Patent Document 1 describes a power transmission device that performs control communication when transmitting power from a power transmission coil via a power transmission coil at the same frequency as the transmitted power. Hereinafter, communication performed at the same frequency as the transmitted power is referred to as "in-band communication." Patent Document 2 describes a power transmission device that performs control communication at a different frequency from the transmitted power via an antenna different from the power transmission coil. Hereinafter, communication performed at a different frequency from the transmitted power is referred to as "out-band communication." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-075857 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2015-198562 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The appropriate method for control communication, among multiple communication methods such as in-band communication and out-band communication, may vary from device to device. In contrast, in the past, a separate power transmitting device was required for each communication method used by a device, which was inconvenient.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a highly convenient wireless power transmission system in which a plurality of communication methods can be used for control communication. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] A power transmission device according to one embodiment of the present invention has a power transmission means, a first communication means for communicating with a power receiving device, a second communication means for communicating with the power receiving device at a radio frequency different from that of the first communication means, and a decision means for deciding whether to use the first communication means or the second communication means for communication to control wireless power transmission by the power transmission means based on device information obtained from the power receiving device through communication by the first communication means. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a highly convenient wireless power transmission system in which a plurality of communication methods can be used for control communication. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a power transmitting device. FIG. [Diagram 2] 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a power receiving device; [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a system configuration. [Figure 4] 4 is a time chart showing communication within the system. [Diagram 5] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of a process executed by a power transmitting device. [Figure 6] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a flow of a process executed by a power receiving device. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of identification information. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Note that the embodiment shown below is merely an example for the purpose of explanation, and at least a part of the configuration according to the following embodiment may be omitted, or additional elements may be added. In addition, the order of the method according to the following embodiment may be changed, some steps may be omitted, or additional steps may be used.

[0010] In the wireless power transmission system, the power transmitting device and the power receiving device may perform control communication by, for example, in-band communication, which performs communication in the same radio frequency band as the wireless power transmission, or out-band communication, which performs communication in a different radio frequency band. At this time, the power transmitting device according to the present embodiment determines whether to perform control communication by in-band communication or out-band communication based on information acquired from the power receiving device by in-band communication. Here, the acquired information may be, for example, device information indicating whether the power receiving device supports wireless power transmission at high power, whether out-band communication can be executed, or other functions possessed by the power receiving device. However, this is not limited to this, and various information such as the state of the power receiving device may be acquired. This allows the power transmitting device to perform control communication in an appropriate manner depending on, for example, the capabilities and state of the power receiving device. Note that the in-band communication and the out-band communication are examples, and for example, the power transmitting device may have an arbitrary first communication function and an arbitrary second communication function using a radio frequency different from the first communication function, and may determine which communication function to use based on information acquired by the first communication function. In this case, the first communication function may use the same radio frequency as the wireless power transmission, or may use a different radio frequency. That is, in the following, in-band communication is used as an example of the first communication function, and out-band communication is used as an example of the second communication function, but the following technology can be applied in various aspects.

[0011] (Device configuration) First, the configuration of the device according to the present embodiment will be described. Fig. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a power transmitting device 100 according to the present embodiment. The power transmitting device 100 includes, for example, a control unit 101, a power source 102, a power transmitting unit 103, a communication unit 104, a power transmitting coil 105, an RFID (Radio Frequency IDentifier) ​​reader 106, and a memory 107.

[0012] The control unit 101 controls the entire device by executing a control program stored in, for example, the memory 107. In one example, the control unit 101 can be one or more processors such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), or a DSP (Digital Signal Processor). The control unit 101 can also use the memory 107 when storing values ​​of variables acquired during execution of the control program. The memory 107 stores the control program executed by the control unit 101 and other information.

[0013] The power source 102 supplies power to the power transmitting unit 103 when the power transmitting device 100 executes wireless power transmission. The power source 102 is, for example, a commercial power source or a battery. The power transmitting unit 103 converts DC power or AC power input from the power source 102 into AC power of a frequency band used for wireless power transmission, and generates electromagnetic waves to be transmitted via the power transmitting coil 105. The power transmitting unit 103 according to the present embodiment operates in compliance with, for example, a standard established by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), a standardization organization for contactless charging standards, and a frequency in the 100 kHz band is used for the above-mentioned AC power. However, this is not necessarily limited to this, and the power transmitting unit 103 may comply with a standard different from the WPC standard, or a frequency other than the 100 kHz band may be used for the above-mentioned AC power. The power transmitting unit 103 outputs electromagnetic waves for transmitting power from the power transmitting coil 105 to a counterpart device of wireless power transmission (for example, the power receiving device 200) based on an instruction from the control unit 101. Furthermore, the power transmitting unit 103 can control the intensity of the electromagnetic waves to be output by adjusting the voltage (power transmission voltage) or current (power transmission current) input to the power transmitting coil 105. When the power transmission voltage or power transmission current is increased, the intensity of the electromagnetic waves transmitted correspondingly increases. Furthermore, the power transmitting unit 103 can perform control to stop power transmission from the power transmitting coil 105 based on an instruction from the control unit 101.

[0014] The communication unit 104 performs control communication related to wireless power transmission based on the WPC standard with the communication unit 204 of the power receiving device 200. The communication unit 104 performs control communication by in-band communication performed at the same frequency as the wireless power transmission. The communication unit 104 may transmit information by modulating the electromagnetic waves output from the power transmitting unit 105. The communication unit 104 may also obtain information by load modulation performed by the power receiving device that receives the electromagnetic waves output from the power transmitting unit 105. The communication unit 104 may also perform communication other than the control communication as necessary. The reader 106 is, for example, an interrogator that complies with the ISO / IEC 18000-63 standard, which is an RFID standard for the UHF band (900 MHz band). The reader 106 supplies power for operating the RFID tag by continuously transmitting a carrier wave, and can read information stored in a memory in the RFID tag and write information to the memory. The reader 106 performs control communication when the power transmitting unit 103 transmits power to the power receiving unit 205 of the power receiving device 200 by out-of-band communication in which communication is performed at a frequency different from that of wireless power transmission.

[0015] 2 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a power receiving device 200 according to this embodiment. The power receiving device 200 includes, for example, a control unit 201, an RFID tag 202, a power receiving coil 203, a communication unit 204, a power receiving unit 205, a charging unit 206, and a battery 207.

[0016] In one example, the control unit 201 is connected to the tag 202, the communication unit 204, and the power receiving unit 205, and controls the entire power receiving device 200 by executing a control program stored in a memory (not shown), for example. The control unit 201 can be one or more processors such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array), a DSP (Digital Signal Processor), or the like.

[0017] The tag 202 is a UHF band (900 MHz band) RFID tag that operates in compliance with the same standard as the reader 106 of the power transmitting device 100. The tag 202 operates using a carrier wave transmitted by the reader 106 as startup power, and performs control communication with the reader 106 via out-of-band communication when the power receiving unit 205 receives power from the power transmitting unit 103 of the power transmitting device 100.

[0018] The memory in the tag 202 is composed of four banks (UII memory or EPC memory, TID memory, USER memory, and RESERVED memory). Here, UII is an acronym for Unique Item Identifier, EPC is an acronym for Electrical Product code, and TID is an acronym for Tag Identifier. The UII memory or EPC memory stores the UII or EPC, which is identification information of the product in which the tag is mounted. The TID memory stores an identification code of the tag manufacturer, etc. The USER memory stores information that can be freely used by the tag user. The RESERVED memory may store a password for accessing each memory bank, a password for disabling the chip, etc. In RFID, a reader can read and write to the memory in the tag in three stages: Select, Inventory, and Access. Of these stages, the reader can obtain part of the information, such as the UII or EPC, stored in the memory area in the tag in the inventory stage.

[0019] The communication unit 204 performs control communication for wireless power transmission based on the WPC standard with the communication unit 104 of the power transmission device 100 by in-band communication. The communication unit 204 may demodulate the modulated electromagnetic wave from the power transmission device 100 to obtain information. Further, the communication unit 204 may vary the load of the power receiving unit 205 and transmit information by load modulation. Note that the communication unit 204 may perform communication other than control communication as necessary. The power receiving unit 205 receives the power sent by the power transmission unit 103 of the power transmission device 100 via the power receiving coil 203, converts it into a DC voltage, and supplies it to the charging unit 206. The power receiving coil 203 and the power receiving unit 205 are configured to be able to extract power from the electromagnetic wave transmitted by a device operating in accordance with the WPC standard such as the power transmission device 100. The charging unit 206 executes control to charge the battery 207 with the DC voltage supplied from the power receiving unit 205.

[0020] Note that the power transmission device 100 and the power receiving device 200 may be devices that solely perform wireless power transmission. However, for example, they 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, projectors, etc. Further, the power transmission device 100 and the power receiving device 200 may be storage devices such as hard disk devices and memory devices, or may be information processing devices such as personal computers (PCs) and smartphones. That is, the power transmission device 100 and the power receiving device 200 may be any electronic device having a function of performing wireless power transmission. In this case, for example, the output destination of the power received by the power receiving unit 205 may not be the charging unit 206. For example, the power receiving unit 205 may be directly connected to a predetermined circuit in the electronic device including the power receiving device 200, and the received power may be supplied to that circuit.

[0021] (Flow of processing) Hereinafter, the flow of processing in the state of the system as shown in FIG. 3(A) will be described with reference to FIG. 4 to FIG. 6. Here, FIG. 3(A) shows a state in which the power receiving device 200 is placed on the power transmitting device 100. The dashed line 300 exemplarily shows the power transmission range of the power transmitting unit 103 and the range in which the in-band communication by the communication unit 104 can be performed. The dashed line 301 exemplarily shows the range in which the out-band communication by the reader 106 can be performed. As shown in FIG. 3(A), the range in which the out-band communication can be performed is wider than the range in which the in-band communication can be performed. FIG. 4 is a time chart showing an outline of the flow of processing executed by the power transmitting unit 103 and the reader 106 of the power transmitting device 100 according to this embodiment, and the tag 202 and the power receiving unit 205 of the power receiving device 200. In FIG. 4, the horizontal axis shows time, and the vertical axis shows power in each of the power transmitting unit 103, the reader 106, the tag 202, and the power receiving unit 205. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the power transmitting device 100, and FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of processing executed by the power receiving device 200. In FIG. 6, the processing indicated by dotted lines is optional and does not necessarily have to be executed. That is, for example, when it is determined that S602 in FIG. 6 is NO, each processing indicated by dotted lines may be omitted and the processing of S603 may be executed. Below, first, a case where such optional processing is not executed will be described, and the optional processing will be described after that.

[0022] In the following, (1) the case where out-of-band communication is used will be described with reference to the time chart of FIG. 4, and then (2) the case where out-of-band communication is not used will be described.

[0023] (1) When out-of-band communication is used <Time t1-t2> The power transmitting unit 103 performs an operation defined in the Selection phase of the WPC standard from time t1 to t2. The Selection phase is a phase in which the power transmitting device 100 detects an object, and the power transmitting unit 103 periodically transmits an Analog Ping 400, which is a small amount of power for detecting an object placed in the power transmitting device 100, in this phase. When an object is present within the power transmitting range indicated by the dashed line 300, the voltage of the power transmitting coil 105 when transmitting the Analog Ping is smaller than when the object is not present within the range. Therefore, the power transmitting unit 103 can detect the presence of an object within the power transmitting range by monitoring the voltage of the power transmitting coil 105. Here, it is assumed that the power receiving device 200 is placed on the power transmitting device 100, and the power transmitting unit 103 detects the object at time t2 and notifies the control unit 101. In response to this, the power transmitting device 100 transitions from the Selection phase to the Ping phase and starts the process of FIG. 5. The process of Fig. 5 may be started by, for example, the control unit 101 executing a program stored in the memory 107. Meanwhile, the power receiving device 200 may start the process of Fig. 6 when the power receiving unit 205 is powered on. For example, the process of Fig. 6 may be started in the power receiving device 200 when the power is turned on or when the wireless power transmission function is turned on. Also, in response to receiving a Digital Ping in S601 of Fig. 6, the control unit 201 and the power receiving unit 205 of the power receiving device 200 may be activated and the subsequent process may be executed. Note that during the period of time t1-t2, the reader 106 of the power transmitting device 100 does not transmit a carrier wave.

[0024] <Time t2-t3> Between time t2 and t3, the Ping phase, the Identification & Configuration (I&C) phase, and the Negotiation phase in the WPC standard are executed. Here, the state transitions defined in the WPC standard will be described.

[0025] In the Ping phase, the power transmitting unit 103 transmits a Digital Ping. The Digital Ping is power for supplying power to the power receiving unit 205 to start it up and perform in-band communication, and has a larger power than the Analog Ping. In the Ping phase, the power receiving device 200 transmits a Signal Strength (SS) Packet, which is a packet that stores the voltage value of the received Digital Ping. Then, when the power transmitting device 100 receives this packet, the process transitions to the I&C phase.

[0026] In the I&C phase, the power receiving unit 205 transmits identification information to the power transmitting unit 103 as an Identification (ID) Packet. After that, the power receiving unit 205 transmits a Configuration Packet that stores information including the maximum value of power to be supplied to a load (in this case, the charging unit 206). After that, the power receiving unit 205 transmits a Negotiation Request Packet to transition to the Negotiation phase. When the power transmitting unit 103 transmits an ACK indicating acceptance in response to the Negotiation Request Packet, the processing transitions to the Negotiation phase. Note that if the power transmitting unit 103 transmits a NAK indicating rejection in response to the Negotiation Request Packet, the power transmitting unit 103 stops transmitting the Digital Ping, and the processing returns to the Selection phase.

[0027] The identification information transmitted by the power receiving unit 205 in the I&C phase has a configuration as shown in FIG. 7, for example. In FIG. 7, Major Version 701 and Minor Version 702 indicate the version of the WPC standard. For example, for version 1.2 of the WPC standard, Major Version 701 is set to "1" and Minor Version 702 is set to "2". WPC standard version 1.2 is a standard for transmitting low power (maximum 15 watts), and in this embodiment, in-band communication is used for control communication related to power transmission in this standard. In addition, in this embodiment, when a standard for transmitting high power such as maximum 50 watts (hereinafter referred to as high power standard) is used, out-band communication is used for control communication related to power transmission. Manufacture ID 703 indicates an identification number indicating the manufacturer of the power receiving unit 205 or the power receiving device 200, and Device ID 704 indicates an individual identification number of the power receiving unit 205 or the power receiving device 200. A combination of Manufacture ID 703 and Device ID 704 of a device will not overlap with a combination of Manufacture ID 703 and Device ID 704 of another device. Hereinafter, the combination of Manufacture ID 703 and Device ID 704 will be referred to as individual identification information. In this embodiment, the memory area of ​​the tag 202 includes identification information as shown in FIG. 7 as a UII or EPC.

[0028] In the Negotiation phase, negotiations regarding the power to be transmitted and received are performed between the power transmitting unit 103 and the power receiving unit 205. In response to the establishment of this negotiation, the process moves to the Calibration phase. The Calibration phase is not relevant to the following description, so a description thereof will be omitted here, but here, a process that is generally performed by a device that performs wireless power transmission in WPC is executed. When the Calibration phase ends, the process moves to a Power Transfer (PT) phase in which the power receiving unit 205 supplies power to a load. If the power transmitting unit 103 transmits an ACK to the power receiving unit 205 in the Calibration phase, the process moves to the PT phase, and if a NAK is transmitted, the process remains in the Calibration phase.

[0029] Note that an arrow 401 in FIG. 4 indicates that in-band communication is being performed between the power transmitting unit 103 and the power receiving unit 205 from the Ping phase to the Negotiation phase.

[0030] In this period, as described above, at time T2, the control unit 101 and the power transmitting unit 103 of the power transmitting device 100 detect an object (the power receiving device 200) and therefore transmit a Digital Ping (S501).

[0031] When the control unit 201 of the power receiving device 200 receives a Digital Ping (S601), the control unit 201 is activated by the supply of power and determines whether or not charging of the battery 207 is necessary. For example, this determination can be made depending on whether or not the remaining charge of the battery 207 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Then, when the power receiving unit 205 determines that charging is not necessary, it transmits an End Power Transfer (EPT) that is a message indicating that power transmission is to be stopped to the power transmitting unit 103 by in-band communication. It is assumed here that the power receiving unit 205 determines that charging is necessary and does not transmit an EPT. Then, the control unit of the power receiving device transmits an SS Packet, an ID Packet, and a Configuration Packet to the power transmitting device 100.

[0032] Next, the control unit 201 of the power receiving device 200 determines whether or not control communication can be performed by RFID (S602). For example, the control unit 201 accesses the memory in the tag 202 by wired communication such as I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit). If the control unit 201 can access the memory, it determines that the tag is activated and control communication by RFID can be performed, and if the control unit 201 cannot access the memory, it determines that control communication by RFID cannot be performed. According to FIG. 4, during the period from time t2 to t3, the reader 106 does not transmit a carrier wave and the tag 202 does not activate. Therefore, the control unit 201 determines that control communication cannot be performed by RFID because it cannot access the tag 202 (NO in S602), and determines that control communication is to be performed by in-band communication rather than RFID (S603).

[0033] In the power transmitting device 100, the power transmitting unit 103 does not receive the EPT (NO in S502) and receives the SS Packet and the ID Packet (and the Configuration Packet) (S503, S504). Then, the control unit 101 stores the information element stored in the ID Packet in the memory 107 (S505). Then, the control unit 101 determines whether or not control communication by RFID is executable (S506). The determination of whether or not control communication by RFID is executable may be a determination of whether or not high power can be transmitted. For example, the control unit 101 may check whether the power receiving device 200 supports control communication using RFID based on the identification information stored in the ID Packet as shown in FIG. 7. Here, it is assumed that the power receiving device 200 supports the high power standard and is capable of control communication using RFID. In this case, the communication unit 204 of the power receiving device 200 stores information indicating the high power standard in the Major Version and Minor Version of the ID Packet and transmits it. The control unit 101 of the power transmitting device 100 determines from this ID packet that control communication by RFID can be performed with the power receiving device 200 (YES in S506), and determines to perform the control communication by RFID rather than in-band communication (S507). In this case, the power transmitting device 100 performs a process for switching the control communication from in-band communication to out-band communication. In this embodiment, the power transmitting unit 103 of the power transmitting device 100 stops Digital Ping, thereby terminating the control sequence by in-band communication. For example, when the power transmitting device 100 receives a Negotiation Request packet transmitted by the power receiving device 200 (S508), it transmits a NAK as a response (S509). After transmitting the NAK, the power transmitting device 100 terminates Digital Ping at time t3 (S510). In this case, when the power transmitting device 100 transmits Digital Ping again, it will perform the control by out-band communication, as described later.

[0034] <Time t3-t4> During this period, the power transmitting section 103 of the power transmitting device 100 stops transmitting Digital Pings, so that the control section 201 and the power receiving section 205 of the power receiving device 200 cannot receive driving power and are in a power-off state.

[0035] <Time t4-t5> During the period from time t4 to t5, the reader 106 of the power transmitting device 100 detects the tag 202 of the power receiving device 200, and the reader 106 is ready to read and write data from and to the memory in the tag 202. Specifically, the control unit 101 of the power transmitting device 100 causes the reader 106 to transmit a carrier wave to start supplying driving power to the tag 202 of the power receiving device 200 (S511), and the tag 202 receives the carrier wave and starts up. Then, the reader 106 executes an inventory process (S512). In the inventory process, the reader 106 first transmits a Query command to the tag 202. In response to this command, the tag 202 transmits RN16, which is a 16-bit random bit string, to the reader 106. The reader 106 transmits an ACK (RN16) containing the RN16 to the tag 202. Upon receiving the ACK(RN16), the tag 202 transmits a UII or EPC, which is identification information of the product in which the tag 202 is implemented (i.e., the power receiving device 200), to the reader 106. The reader 106 transmits a Req_RN command to the tag 202 requesting a "Handle," which is a 16-bit authentication number used when reading from and writing to the memory in the tag 202. The tag 202 then transmits the Handle to the reader 106. Through these processes, the reader 106 becomes able to read from and write to the memory in the tag 202.

[0036] 4 indicates out-of-band communication between the tag 202 and the reader 106. During the time period from t4 to t5, the power transmitting unit 103 does not transmit a Digital Ping, and the control unit 201 and the power receiving unit 205 of the power receiving device 200 remain powered off.

[0037] When the control unit 101 of the power transmitting device 100 acquires the identification information (UII or EPC) from the tag 202, the control unit 101 compares the identification information with the identification information of the power receiving device 200 stored in the memory 107 in S505 (S513). Here, since the same identification information as that included in the ID Packet is included in the memory area (UII or EPC) of the tag, the identification information included in the UII or EPC matches the identification information included in the ID Packet (YES in S514). Therefore, the control unit 101 of the power transmitting device 100 can determine that the power receiving device 200 equipped with the tag 202 that performed outband communication during the period from time t4 to t5 is the same as the power receiving device 200 that performed inband communication during the period from time t2 to t3. Therefore, the control unit 101 of the power transmitting device 100 determines that the tag 202 from which the identification information was acquired is the other party of the control communication using the reader 106 (S515).

[0038] In the determination of S514, it is not necessary that the identification information included in the ID packet and the identification information stored in the memory 107 strictly match, and it is sufficient that these pieces of identification information have a predetermined correspondence relationship that they relate to the same power receiving device 200. For example, when the value of the result of calculation by a predetermined function that uses the identification information included in the ID packet as an argument and returns different results for different arguments is the same as the value of the identification information stored in the memory 107, it can be determined that these pieces of information have the predetermined correspondence relationship.

[0039] <Time t5-t6> The control unit 101 of the power transmitting device 100 executes the WPC sequence via out-of-band communication. An arrow 403 in FIG. 4 indicates control communication of the WPC standard, which is performed using communication between the reader 106 and the tag 202 enabled by the arrow 402, and corresponds to control from the Ping phase to immediately before the PT phase. In this control, first, the control unit 101 of the power transmitting device 100 causes the power transmitting unit 103 to transmit a Digital Ping (S516). When the control unit 201 of the power receiving device 200 receives this Digital Ping (S601), it determines whether or not control communication can be performed by RFID (S602), as in the above case. Here, since the tag 202 is activated by receiving a carrier wave from the reader 106, the control unit 201 can access the memory in the tag 202 via wired communication such as I2C. Therefore, the control unit 201 determines that control communication via RFID is executable (YES in S602), and determines to execute control communication via RFID (S604).

[0040] The control unit 101 of the power transmitting device 100 executes the above-mentioned I&C phase, Negotiation phase, and Calibration phase processes through outband communication between the reader 106 and the tag 202 (S517). Note that, unlike S509, the control unit 101 of the power transmitting device 100 transmits an ACK in response to the Negotiation Request transmitted by the power receiving device 200. This is because, at the time when the Negotiation Request is received, the control communication is performed through outband communication, and therefore there is no need to switch from inband communication to outband communication.

[0041] <Time t6-t7> During this period, the process transitions to the PT phase, and the control unit 101 of the power transmitting device 100 controls the power transmitting unit 103 to transmit power to the power receiving unit 205 (S518). During this period, the reader 106 transmits a carrier wave to the tag 202, and in parallel with the supply of power related to wireless power transmission by the power transmitting unit 103, the reader 106 supplies driving power to the tag 202 for control communication using RFID.

[0042] In addition, the control communication at t5-t7 will use the USER memory in the memory area of ​​the RFID tag.

[0043] <Time t7-t8> When charging of the battery 207 is completed at time t7, the power receiving device 200 transmits an EPT. When the control unit 101 of the power transmitting device 100 receives the EPT (S519), it stops power transmission from the power transmitting unit 103 (S520) and controls the reader 106 to stop transmitting the carrier wave (S521). That is, the control unit 101 stops the supply of driving power from the reader 106 to the tag 202 in response to the stop of power transmission from the power transmitting unit 103. When the control unit 101 of the power transmitting device 100 stops power transmission from the power transmitting unit 103, it executes the operation of the above-mentioned Selection phase. That is, the power transmitting unit 103 periodically transmits an Analog Ping. In this case, since the power receiving device 200 remains placed on the power transmitting device 100, the control unit 101 of the power transmitting device 100 transmits a Digital Ping at time t8. However, in this case, since charging of the battery 207 has been completed, the control unit 201 of the power receiving device 200 transmits the EPT to the power transmitting device 100 (arrow 404 in FIG. 4). Note that since the reader 106 has stopped transmitting the carrier wave at this time t7, this control communication is executed by in-band communication, not by RFID.

[0044] In this way, the power transmitting device can determine whether the power receiving device can use out-band communication based on device information received from the power receiving device, for example, by an ID packet, etc. Accordingly, the power transmitting device can appropriately perform wireless power transmission (for example, at high power) with the power receiving device that can use out-band communication.

[0045] (2) When out-of-band communication is not used The control unit 101 of the power transmitting device 100 receives an ID packet from the power receiving device 200 by in-band communication during the time t2-t3 (S504). In this case, if the information in the ID packet indicates that the device is WPC1.2 compatible, for example, the control unit 101 determines that control communication cannot be performed by RFID (NO in S506) and determines to continue the control communication by in-band communication (S522). Thereafter, the control communication described as being performed by out-band communication during the above-mentioned time t5-t8 is performed by in-band communication.

[0046] In this way, the power transmitting device can determine whether the power receiving device is a device that should use in-band communication based on device information received from the power receiving device, for example, by an ID packet, etc. Then, the power transmitting device can appropriately perform wireless power transmission with the power receiving device that should use in-band communication.

[0047] Furthermore, in the present embodiment, when the power transmitting device 100 is performing in-band communication, the power receiving device 200 accordingly performs in-band communication (time t2-t3), and when the power transmitting device 100 is performing out-band communication, the power receiving device 200 accordingly performs out-band communication (time t4-t7). In this manner, the power receiving device 200 selects a control communication method in accordance with the operation of the power transmitting device 100. For this reason, even if the power transmitting device 100 supports only in-band communication, the power receiving device 200 is not unable to perform control communication with the power transmitting device 100.

[0048] As described above, the power transmitting device 100 according to this embodiment can perform control communication regardless of whether the power receiving device 200 supports out-band communication or in-band communication, thereby improving the convenience of the wireless power transmission system.

[0049] Furthermore, the reader 106 of the power transmitting device 100 according to this embodiment transmits a carrier wave during a period (e.g., time t4-t7) when a power receiving device compatible with RFID is present within a power transmitting range and charging is required. This can reduce power consumption of the power transmitting device 100 and reduce radio wave interference with surrounding wireless systems, as compared to a case in which the reader 106 continues to transmit a carrier wave during time t1-t8. Note that the reader 106 may continue to transmit a carrier wave steadily.

[0050] Also, from the viewpoint of power saving and reduction of radio wave interference, the time during which the reader transmits the carrier wave can be made as short as possible. That is, the power transmission may be started after it is confirmed that the RFID can be used, and the power transmission may be stopped immediately when it is determined that the control communication by the RFID is not necessary. In this embodiment, the reader 106 starts transmitting the carrier wave after the power receiving device 200 determines that the control communication using the RFID is possible, and the reader 106 stops the carrier wave immediately when the reader 106 receives the EPT at t7. This makes it possible to limit the time during which the reader 106 transmits the carrier wave to the minimum necessary.

[0051] Furthermore, the control unit 101 of the power transmitting device 100 transmits a Digital Ping at t5 after the reader 106 is in a state where it can read and write to the tag 202 from t4 to t5, that is, after it is in a state where control communication is possible. This makes it possible to perform stable power transmission control using RFID. For example, if the power transmitting unit transmits a Digital Ping at time t4, the reader 106 is not in a state where it can read and write to the tag 202, so that it may become impossible to perform power transmission control from t4 to t5. However, according to this embodiment, it is possible to avoid such a state.

[0052] Also, it has been described that the control unit 101 of the power transmitting device 100 selects a tag to be read and written to based on the identification information of the power receiving device received by in-band communication and the identification information received by out-band communication (period t3-t4, NO in S514). This allows the power transmitting device 100 to appropriately select and communicate with the other device (power receiving device 200) of wireless power transmission. For example, as shown in FIG. 3B, a tag 202 (tag of the power receiving device 200) that complies with the WPC standard and a tag 302 that does not comply with the WPC standard are present around the power transmitting device 100. In this case, the power transmitting device 100 acquires the identification information of both the tag 202 and the tag 302 of the power receiving device 200 in S513. At this time, the power transmitting device 100 compares the acquired identification information with the identification information acquired by in-band communication in S505, and therefore does not select the tag 302 as an access target of the RFID (NO in S514). Even if the tag 302 is provided in another power receiving device compatible with the high power standard, the power transmitting device 100 does not select the tag 302 as an access target of the RFID because the power transmitting device 100 does not acquire the identification information of the other power receiving device through in-band communication. Since the individual identification information of the tag 302, including at least the Manufacture ID and Device ID, is different from the individual identification information of the power receiving device 200 acquired through in-band communication, the power transmitting device 100 can distinguish the tag 302 from the tag 202.

[0053] In addition, the control unit 101 of the power transmitting device 100 can appropriately select a tag to be accessed even when the wireless power transmission systems are adjacent to each other as shown in FIG. 3C by selecting a tag to be connected based on the individual identification information. In FIG. 3C, the power transmitting device 304 and the power receiving device 303 are adjacent to the system shown in FIG. 3A, and the range in which the power transmitting device 304 can perform out-band communication is indicated by a two-dot chain line 305. According to FIG. 3C, the reader 106 of the power transmitting device 100 and the reader of the power transmitting device 304 can communicate with the tags of both the power receiving device 200 and the power receiving device 303. However, the communication ranges of the in-band communication of the power transmitting device 100 and the power transmitting device 304 do not overlap. Therefore, based on the individual identification information acquired by the in-band communication, the power transmitting device 100 can perform out-band communication using RFID with the power receiving device 200, and the power transmitting device 304 can perform out-band communication with the power receiving device 303.

[0054] In this embodiment, it is assumed that no reception error occurs in the RFID control communication (403, S517). For example, an error may occur due to the influence of the radio wave environment. In such a case, the power transmitting device 100 may switch the control communication to in-band communication. In this case, the power that can be transmitted by wireless power transmission may be limited to, for example, 15 watts of the WPC1.2 standard using in-band communication, rather than 50 watts of the high power standard using out-band communication.

[0055] In an example of in-band communication, control data is superimposed by applying load modulation to the transmitted power waveform to minutely change the voltage amplitude. Since the variation in voltage amplitude generated in the transmitting / receiving coil is greater for high power than for low power, it is difficult to detect minute changes in voltage amplitude due to load modulation during high power transmission. As a result, if in-band communication is used during high power transmission, control data cannot be transmitted or received, and the wireless power transmission system may become unstable. In response to this, as described above, when out-band communication is not possible, it is possible to perform stable power transmission and control communication by changing to in-band communication and changing the transmitted power value to the upper limit for in-band communication.

[0056] Furthermore, the identification information of the power receiving device in this embodiment (FIG. 7) is stored in the UII or EPC memory in the memory area of ​​the tag 202, but may be stored in the TID memory or in the USER memory. Here, when storing the identification information in the UII memory, EPC memory, or USER memory, it may be set so that it cannot be written to by the reader 106. This makes it possible to prevent the identification information from being intentionally rewritten by a malicious reader.

[0057] In the present embodiment, an example has been described in which the power transmitting device 100 determines to switch from in-band communication to out-band communication based on the identification information of the power receiving device 200. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the power receiving device 200 may determine to switch from in-band communication to out-band communication based on the identification information of the power transmitting device 100. This can be performed, for example, based on S605 to S607 shown as an option in FIG.

[0058] When this optional process is executed, the power receiving device 200 transmits a Negotiation Request at time t2-t3. Then, the power transmitting device 100 transmits an ACK in response to this, and the process moves to the Negotiation phase. In the Negotiation phase, the power receiving device 200 transmits a message to the power transmitting device 100 requesting the identification information (ID) of the power transmitting device 100 (S605). In the Negotiation phase, the power receiving device can transmit a General request Packet for making various requests to the power transmitting device. In the General Request Packet, the content of the above-mentioned request can be specified in the packet header. For example, the power receiving device can transmit a transmission request for Power Transmitter Identification by specifying the header value as 0x30. This request allows the power receiving device to obtain information similar to that in FIG. 7 regarding the power transmitting device. Then, the power receiving device determines whether or not an RFID is implemented, that is, for example, whether or not the power transmitting device complies with the high power standard, based on the identification information of the power transmitting device obtained in S605 (S606). When the power receiving device determines that the power transmitting device is capable of control communication via RFID (YES in S606), the power receiving device determines to execute control communication via RFID (S604). In this case, the power receiving device may transmit an EPT (S607) and return the wireless power transmission process to the Selection phase. Even with this process, control communication related to wireless power transmission can be performed between the power transmitting device and the power receiving device using an appropriate communication method.

[0059] The power transmission method used in the wireless power transmission system is not particularly limited. For example, a magnetic resonance method may be used in which power is transmitted by coupling due to magnetic resonance between a resonator (resonant element) of a power transmitting device and a resonator (resonant element) of a power receiving device, but an electromagnetic induction method, an electric field resonance method, a microwave method, a laser method, or the like may also be used.

[0060] In the above embodiment, an example in which an RFID interface in the UHF band is used as an interface for performing out-of-band communication has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an interface conforming to the Bluetooth (registered trademark) Low Energy (BLE) standard or the Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi (registered trademark)) standard may be used as an interface for performing out-of-band communication.

[0061] When the BLE standard is used, the reader 106 of the power transmitting device 100 may communicate as a central (control station) of the BLE standard. Also, the tag 202 of the power receiving device 200 may communicate as a peripheral (child station) of the BLE standard. Then, when the power receiving device 200 recognizes in S606 that the power transmitting device supports control communication using the BLE standard, it may transmit an Advertise packet including the information elements of FIG. 7 to the power transmitting device in S607. The Advertise packet is a packet for a peripheral to convey information about itself. Then, the power transmitting device 100 determines the power receiving device 200 present in the power transmission range as a communication partner of the control communication by the above-mentioned processes of S513 and S514, and transmits a Connect packet to the power receiving device 200. Here, the Connect packet is a packet for establishing a wireless connection with the peripheral that transmitted the Advertise packet, and is defined in the BLE standard. By doing as described above, it is possible to obtain the same effect as the above-mentioned process.

[0062] In addition, in the case of the Wi-Fi (registered trademark) standard, the power transmitting device 100 can be an access point, and the power receiving device 200 can be a station. In this case, the power receiving device 200 may transmit a Probe Request packet containing the information element in FIG. 7 as information related to itself.

[0063] 5 and 6 may be realized by, for example, a program executed by a CPU, or at least a part of the process may be realized by hardware. For example, a specific compiler may be used to automatically generate a dedicated circuit on an FPGA from a program for implementing each step, so that some of the operations may be realized by hardware. A gate array circuit different from an FPGA may be used, or some of the operations may be performed by non-programmable hardware such as an ASIC, unlike circuits such as an FPGA.

[0064] <<Other embodiments>> The present invention can also be realized by a process in which a program for implementing one or more of the functions of the above-described embodiments is supplied to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and one or more processors in a computer of the system or device read and execute the program. The present invention can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that implements one or more of the functions. [Explanation of symbols]

[0065] 100: power transmitting device, 101: control unit, 103: power transmitting unit, 104: communication unit, 106: reader, 200: power receiving device, 201: control unit, 202: tag, 204: communication unit, 205: power receiving unit

Claims

1. A power transmission means; A first communication means for communicating with the power receiving device; A second communication means for communicating with the power receiving device at a radio frequency different from that of the first communication means; a determination means for determining whether to use the first communication means or the second communication means for communication for controlling wireless power transmission by the power transmitting means, based on device information acquired from the power receiving device through communication by the first communication means; A power transmitting device comprising:

2. The second communication means supplies driving power to the communication means of the power receiving device to communicate with the power receiving device. The power transmitting device according to claim 1 .

3. The second communication means supplies the driving power in parallel with the power transmission by the power transmitting means to the power receiving device. The power transmitting device according to claim 2 .

4. the second communication means stops supplying the drive power when the power transmitting means stops transmitting power to the power receiving device. The power transmitting device according to claim 2 or 3.

5. the second communication means starts supplying the drive power in response to a determination that the second communication means is to be used for the communication for the control. The power transmitting device according to any one of claims 2 to 4.

6. The first communication means communicates using the same radio frequency as that of the power transmission, and the second communication means communicates using a radio frequency different from that of the power transmission. The power transmitting device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The first communication means supplies driving power to enable the power receiving device to communicate with the first communication means. The power transmitting device according to claim 1 .

8. When the communication for the control is performed using the first communication means, the communication for the control is not performed using the second communication means. The power transmitting device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. while the communication for the control is being performed using the second communication means, the communication for the control is not being performed using the first communication means; The power transmitting device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. The device information includes information about a version of a standard for wireless power transmission in which the power receiving device complies, the determining means makes the determination depending on whether the device information includes information on a version using the first communication means or information on a version using the second communication means for the communication for control. The power transmitting device according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. When the determination means determines to use the second communication means, the determination means obtains second device information using the second communication means; The power transmitting means transmits power when the device information and the second device information have a predetermined correspondence relationship. The power transmitting device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

12. The power transmitting means operates in accordance with the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) standard. The power transmitting device according to claim 1 .

13. the second communication means is a Radio Frequency IDentifier (RFID) interrogator; The power transmitting device according to claim 1 .

14. A power receiving means; A first communication means for communicating with the power transmitting device; A second communication means for communicating with the power transmitting device at a radio frequency different from that of the first communication means; a determination means for determining whether to use the first communication means or the second communication means for communication for controlling wireless power transmission by the power transmission device, based on device information acquired from the power transmission device through communication by the first communication means; A power receiving device comprising:

15. A power transmission device having a power transmission means, a first communication means for communicating with a power receiving device, and a second communication means for communicating with the power receiving device at a radio frequency different from that of the first communication means, determining whether to use the first communication means or the second communication means for communication for controlling wireless power transmission by the power transmitting means, based on device information acquired from the power receiving device through communication by the first communication means; A method comprising:

16. A power receiving device having a power receiving means, a first communication means for communicating with a power transmitting device, and a second communication means for communicating with the power transmitting device at a radio frequency different from that of the first communication means, determining whether to use the first communication means or the second communication means for communication for controlling wireless power transmission by the power transmission device based on device information acquired from the power transmission device through communication by the first communication means; A method comprising:

17. A computer provided in a power transmission device having a power transmission means, a first communication means for communicating with a power receiving device, and a second communication means for communicating with the power receiving device at a radio frequency different from that of the first communication means, A program for determining whether to use the first communication means or the second communication means for communication to control wireless power transmission by the power transmitting means, based on equipment information obtained from the power receiving device through communication by the first communication means.

18. A computer provided in a power receiving device having a power receiving means, a first communication means for communicating with a power transmitting device, and a second communication means for communicating with the power transmitting device at a radio frequency different from that of the first communication means, A program for determining whether to use the first communication means or the second communication means for communication to control wireless power transmission by the power transmission device, based on equipment information obtained from the power transmission device through communication by the first communication means.

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