Power receiving device, wireless power transmission system, and method for controlling power receiving device

The power receiving device employs a request-response mechanism with Q-value measurements to accurately detect foreign objects, improving detection accuracy in wireless power transmission systems.

JP7718964B2Active Publication Date: 2025-08-05CANON KK
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Patent Information

Application Number
JP2021186492
Authority / Receiving Office
JP · JP
Patent Type
Patents
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2021-11-16
Publication Date
2025-08-05
Estimated Expiration
2041-11-16

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing wireless power transmission systems lack accurate methods for determining the presence of foreign objects based on multiple Q-value measurements.

Method used

A power receiving device equipped with a transmitting means to request foreign object detection processing, a receiving means to process responses, and a stop request means to halt power transmission if the response is not as expected, utilizing multiple Q-value measurements for accurate detection.

Benefits of technology

Enables appropriate processing to determine the presence or absence of foreign objects, enhancing detection accuracy in wireless power transmission systems.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Patent Text Reader

Abstract

To provide an appropriate power reception device, wireless power transmission system, control method for the power reception device, and program in determining the presence or absence of an object different from a power transmission device and the power reception device on the basis of multiple Q-value measurements.SOLUTION: The power reception device transmits an End Power Transfer (EPT) to a power transmission device to stop power transmission from the power transmission device when a response from the power transmission device is not what is expected, such as, receiving an ACK (acknowledgement) or NAK (negative acknowledgement) response even though the assumed response is a response to the effect of "no determination" or receiving a response to the effect of "no determination" even though the assumed response is an ACK (acknowledgement) or NAK (negative acknowledgement) response.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 10
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Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a power receiving device, a wireless power transmission system, a control method for a power receiving device, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, technological development of wireless power transmission systems has been widely conducted, and the WPC standard established by the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC), a standards organization, as a wireless charging standard is widely known. Based on this standard, a power transmitting device transmits power to a power receiving device within the power transmitting range. In this case, in a wireless power transmission system, if an object other than the power receiving device and the power transmitting device (hereinafter referred to as a foreign object) is present within the power transmitting range of the power transmitting device, it is important to detect the foreign object and control power transmission and reception.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a method for detecting a foreign object near a power transmitting / receiving device that complies with the WPC standard and restricting power transmission / reception. Patent Document 2 discloses a technology for detecting a foreign object by short-circuiting the coil of a wireless power transmission system. Patent Document 3 discloses a technology for detecting a foreign object by applying a high-frequency signal to the power transmitting coil of a wireless power transmission system for a certain period of time and measuring the change in the Q value (Quality Factor) of the coil. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-70074 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-34972 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-22999 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] One possible method for improving the accuracy of detecting foreign matter is to measure the Q value multiple times and determine whether or not a foreign matter is present based on the measurement results. However, Patent Documents 1 to 3 do not consider the process of determining whether or not a foreign matter is present based on multiple Q value measurements.

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned problems, the present disclosure aims to provide an appropriate processing method for determining the presence or absence of an object other than a power transmitting device and a power receiving device based on multiple Q-value measurements. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The power receiving device according to the present disclosure is a power receiving device that receives power wirelessly from a power transmitting device that performs foreign object detection processing, and is characterized by having a transmitting means that transmits a request to the power transmitting device to create data for performing the foreign object detection processing, a receiving means that receives from the power transmitting device a response based on the request transmitted by the transmitting means, and a stop request means that requests the power transmitting device to stop transmitting power if the response received by the receiving means is not a response corresponding to the number of times received by the receiving means. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to perform appropriate processing for determining the presence or absence of an object other than a power transmitting device and a power receiving device based on multiple Q-value measurements. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of a wireless power transmission system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an internal configuration of a power receiving device according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of an internal configuration of a power transmitting device according to an embodiment. [Figure 4] 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functional configuration realized by a control unit of the power transmitting device. FIG. [Figure 5]3 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration realized by a control unit of the power receiving device; FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a basic processing flow between a power receiving device and a power transmitting device. [Figure 7] 10 is a diagram illustrating the flow of processing between the power receiving device and the power transmitting device in the third foreign object detection processing. FIG. [Figure 8] 10 is a diagram illustrating the flow of processing between the power receiving device and the power transmitting device in the third foreign object detection processing. FIG. [Figure 9] 10 is a diagram illustrating the flow of processing between the power receiving device and the power transmitting device in the third foreign object detection processing. FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure for resolving a state mismatch in a power receiving device in the first embodiment. [Figure 11] 10 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure for resolving a state mismatch in a power receiving device in the second embodiment. [Figure 12] 11 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure for resolving a state mismatch in a power receiving device in the third embodiment. [Figure 13] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure for resolving a state mismatch in a power receiving device in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 14] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure for resolving a state mismatch in a power receiving device in the fifth embodiment. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the increment of the number of times M or L. [Figure 16] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure in the power transmitting device when a packet storing information on the number M of times a response has been received is received in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 17] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure in a power transmitting device when a packet storing a RES bit is received in the fourth embodiment. [Figure 18] 13 is a flowchart illustrating an example of a processing procedure in a power transmitting device when a Received Power Packet is received in the fifth embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the format of a Received Power Packet in the WPC standard. [Figure 20] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a method for measuring a Q value in the time domain. [Figure 21] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a foreign object detection method using a power loss method. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] (First embodiment) Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0011] (System configuration) Fig. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a wireless power transmission system 102 according to this embodiment. The wireless power transmission system 102 according to this embodiment includes a power transmitting device 100 and a power receiving device 101, as shown in Fig. 1, for example. Here, it is assumed that the power transmitting device 100 and the power receiving device 101 comply with the WPC (Wireless Power Consortium) standard.

[0012] The power transmitting device 100 is, for example, an electronic device that wirelessly transmits power to a power receiving device 101 placed on the power transmitting device 100. The power transmitting device 100 wirelessly transmits power to the power receiving device 101 via a power transmitting coil. The power receiving device 101 is, for example, an electronic device that receives power from the power transmitting device 100 and charges a built-in battery.

[0013] Furthermore, the wireless power transmission system according to this embodiment performs wireless power transmission using an electromagnetic induction method for wireless charging based on the WPC standard. Specifically, the power transmitting device 100 and the power receiving device 101 perform wireless power transmission for wireless charging based on the WPC standard between the power transmitting antenna of the power transmitting device 100 and the power receiving antenna of the power receiving device 101. Note that, although the wireless power transmission system according to this embodiment uses a method defined by the WPC standard as the wireless power transmission method, this is not limiting and other methods may also be used. For example, an electromagnetic induction method, a magnetic field resonance method, an electric field resonance method, a microwave method, a method using a laser, or the like may also be used. Furthermore, although the wireless power transmission is used for wireless charging in this embodiment, wireless power transmission may also be performed for purposes other than wireless charging.

[0014] (Device configuration) Fig. 2 is a diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the power receiving device 101 according to this embodiment. Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the internal configuration of the power transmitting device 100 according to this embodiment. The power receiving device 101 includes, for example, a control unit 200, a power receiving coil 201, a rectifying unit 202, a voltage control unit 203, a communication unit 204, a charging unit 205, a battery 206, a resonant capacitor 207, and a switch 208.

[0015] The control unit 200 controls the entire power receiving device 101. The control unit 200 includes one or more processors, such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) or an MPU (Micro Processing Unit). The control unit 200 may include one or more storage devices, such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a ROM (Read Only Memory). The control unit 200 performs each process described below by, for example, executing a program stored in the storage device using the processor.

[0016] The receiving coil 201 is a coil used when receiving power from the transmitting coil 303 of the power transmitting device 100. The rectifier 202 converts the AC voltage and AC current received via the receiving coil 201 into a DC voltage and a DC current, respectively. The voltage control unit 203 converts the level of the DC voltage input from the rectifier 202 into a DC voltage level suitable for the operation of the control unit 200, the charging unit 205, and the like (neither too high nor too low). The voltage control unit 203 also supplies the DC voltage of the converted level to the charging unit 205. The charging unit 205 charges the battery 206 with the DC voltage supplied from the voltage control unit 203. The communication unit 204 performs control communication for wireless charging based on the WPC standard with the power transmitting device 100. This control communication is performed by load modulation of the AC voltage and AC current received by the receiving coil 201.

[0017] Furthermore, receiving coil 201 is connected to resonant capacitor 207 and is configured to resonate at a specific frequency F2. Switch 208 is a switch for shorting receiving coil 201 and resonant capacitor 207, and is controlled by control unit 200. When switch 208 is turned on, receiving coil 201 and resonant capacitor 207 form a series resonant circuit. At this time, current flows only through the closed circuit of receiving coil 201, resonant capacitor 207, and switch 208, and no current flows through rectifier unit 202 or voltage control unit 203. On the other hand, when switch 208 is turned off, current flows through rectifier unit 202 and voltage control unit 203 via receiving coil 201 and resonant capacitor 207.

[0018] Next, a detailed description will be given of the internal configuration of the power transmitting device 100. The power transmitting device 100 includes, for example, a control unit 300, a power supply unit 301, a power transmitting unit 302, a power transmitting coil 303, a communication unit 304, a memory 305, a resonance capacitor 306, and a switch 307.

[0019] The control unit 300 controls the entire power transmitting device 100. The control unit 300 includes one or more processors, such as a CPU or an MPU. The control unit 300 executes each process described below by, for example, executing a program stored in a memory 305 (described below) or a storage device built into the control unit 300 using the processor. The power supply unit 301 supplies power to each functional block. The power supply unit 301 is, for example, a commercial power supply or a battery. The battery stores power supplied from the commercial power supply, for example.

[0020] The power transmitting unit 302 converts DC or AC power input from the power supply unit 301 into AC power in a frequency band used for wireless power transmission, and outputs the AC power to the power transmitting coil 303. This causes the power transmitting coil 303 to generate electromagnetic waves for receiving power at the power receiving device 101. For example, the power transmitting unit 302 converts the DC voltage supplied from the power supply unit 301 into an AC voltage using a switching circuit with a half-bridge or full-bridge configuration using FETs (Field Effect Transistors). In this case, the power transmitting unit 302 includes a gate driver that controls the ON / OFF of the FETs.

[0021] Furthermore, the power transmitting unit 302 controls the intensity and frequency of the electromagnetic waves to be output by adjusting at least one of the voltage (transmission voltage) and current (transmission current) output to the power transmitting coil 303, or the frequency. For example, the power transmitting unit 302 increases the intensity of the electromagnetic waves by increasing the transmission voltage or the transmission current, and decreases the intensity of the electromagnetic waves by decreasing the transmission voltage or the transmission current. Here, the power transmitting unit 302 is assumed to have the capacity to supply at least 15 watts (W) of power to the charging unit 205 of the power receiving device 101 that complies with the WPC standard. Furthermore, the power transmitting unit 302 controls the output of AC power based on instructions from the control unit 300 so that the output of electromagnetic waves by the power transmitting coil 303 is started or stopped.

[0022] The communication unit 304 communicates with the power receiving device 101 via the power transmitting coil 303 for power transmission control based on the WPC standard. The communication unit 304 modulates the AC voltage and AC current output from the power transmitting unit 302 using frequency modulation (FSK (Frequency Shift Keying)) and transmits information to the power receiving device 101. The communication unit 304 also demodulates the AC voltage and AC current modulated by load modulation by the communication unit 204 of the power receiving device 101 to acquire information transmitted by the power receiving device 101. That is, the communication unit 304 superimposes information to be transmitted to the power receiving device 101 on electromagnetic waves transmitted from the power transmitting unit 302 and detects a received signal superimposed by the power receiving device 101 on the electromagnetic waves, thereby communicating with the power receiving device 101. The communication unit 304 may also communicate with the power receiving device 101 using a coil (or antenna) different from the power transmitting coil 303 and in accordance with a standard different from the WPC standard. Furthermore, the communication unit 304 may communicate with the power receiving apparatus 101 by selectively using a plurality of communication functions.

[0023] The memory 305 stores, for example, a control program executed by the control unit 300 and information such as the states of the power transmitting device 100 and the power receiving device 101. For example, the state of the power transmitting device 100 is acquired by the control unit 300. The state of the power receiving device 101 is acquired by the control unit 200 of the power receiving device 101 and transmitted from the communication unit 204, and the power transmitting device 100 acquires information indicating this state via the communication unit 304.

[0024] Furthermore, the power transmitting coil 303 is connected to a resonant capacitor 306 and configured to resonate at a specific frequency F1. The switch 307 is a switch for shorting the power transmitting coil 303 and the resonant capacitor 306, and is controlled by the control unit 300. When the switch 307 is turned on, the power transmitting coil 303 and the resonant capacitor 306 form a series resonant circuit. At this time, current flows only through the closed circuit of the power transmitting coil 303, the resonant capacitor 306, and the switch 307. When the switch 308 is turned off, power is supplied from the power transmitting unit 302 to the power transmitting coil 303 and the resonant capacitor 306.

[0025] 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration realized by the control unit 300 of the power transmitting device 100. The control unit 300 operates as each of the functional units, for example, a first Q value measurement unit 400, a second Q value measurement unit 401, a calibration unit 402, a first foreign object detection unit 403, a second foreign object detection unit 404, a third foreign object detection unit 405, and a power transmission control unit 406. In the following description, an object that is included in the power transmission range of the power transmitting device 100 and is different from the power transmitting device and the power receiving device will be referred to as a foreign object.

[0026] The first Q-value measurement unit 400 measures the Q-value in the frequency domain (first Q-value measurement) as described below. The second Q-value measurement unit 401 measures the Q-value in the time domain (second Q-value measurement) as described below. The calibration unit 402 acquires calibration data points and creates a calibration curve as described below.

[0027] The first foreign object detection unit 403 executes a foreign object detection process (first foreign object detection process) based on the first Q value measured by the first Q value measurement unit 400. The second foreign object detection unit 404 executes a foreign object detection process (second foreign object detection process) based on a power loss method described below. The third foreign object detection unit 405 executes a foreign object detection process (third foreign object detection process) based on the second Q value measured by the second Q value measurement unit 401. The power transmission control unit 406 performs processes related to the start and stop of power transmission by the power transmission unit 302, and the increase and decrease of the transmitted power. Each functional unit shown in FIG. 4 is configured, for example, as a plurality of independent programs, and these programs operate in parallel while being synchronized by event processing or the like.

[0028] (WPC standard foreign body detection method) Next, foreign object detection methods defined in the WPC standard will be described using the power transmitting device 100 and the power receiving device 101. Here, as foreign object detection methods in the WPC standard, a foreign object detection method based on a Q value measured in the frequency domain (first foreign object detection method) and a foreign object detection method based on a power loss technique (second foreign object detection method) will be described.

[0029] (1) Foreign object detection method based on Q value measured in the frequency domain (first foreign object detection method) In the first foreign object detection method, first, the power transmitting device 100 performs a measurement (first Q-value measurement) in the frequency domain of the Q-value that changes due to the influence of a foreign object. This measurement is performed during the period from when the power transmitting device 100 transmits an Analog Ping to when it transmits a Digital Ping (see F601 in FIG. 6).

[0030] For example, to measure the Q value, the power transmitting unit 302 sweeps the frequency of the wireless power output by the power transmitting coil 303, and the first Q value measuring unit 400 measures the voltage value at the end of the resonant capacitor 306 connected in series (or parallel) with the power transmitting coil 303. Then, the first Q value measuring unit 400 searches for the resonant frequency at which the voltage value reaches a peak, and calculates the Q value of the power transmitting coil 303 from the resonant frequency and the frequency indicating a voltage value 3 dB lower than the peak voltage value measured at the resonant frequency.

[0031] Alternatively, the Q value may be measured by another method. For example, the power transmitting unit 302 sweeps the frequency of the wireless power output by the power transmitting coil 303, and the first Q value measuring unit 400 measures the voltage value at the ends of the resonant capacitor 306 connected in series with the power transmitting coil 303, and searches for the resonant frequency at which the voltage value reaches a peak. The first Q value measuring unit 400 then measures the voltage value at both ends of the resonant capacitor 306 at the resonant frequency, and calculates the Q value of the power transmitting coil 303 from the ratio of the voltage values at both ends.

[0032] After calculating the Q value of the power transmitting coil 303, the first foreign object detection unit 403 of the power transmitting device 100 acquires the Q value, which is a criterion for determining foreign object detection, from the power receiving device 101 via the communication unit 304. For example, the first foreign object detection unit 403 receives from the power receiving device 101 the Q value of the power transmitting coil when the power receiving device is placed on a certain power transmitting coil specified by the WPC standard (see F607 in FIG. 6). This Q value is stored in an FOD (Foreign Object Detection) Status packet transmitted by the power receiving device 101, and the power transmitting device 100 acquires this Q value by receiving this FOD Status packet.

[0033] The first foreign object detector 403 estimates the Q value of the power transmitting coil 303 when the power receiving device 101 is placed on the power transmitting device 100 from the acquired Q value. In this embodiment, the estimated Q value is called a first reference Q value. The Q value stored in the FOD Status packet is stored in advance in a non-volatile memory (not shown) of the power receiving device 101. That is, the power receiving device 101 notifies the power transmitting device 100 of the Q value stored in advance. This Q value corresponds to Q1, which will be described later.

[0034] The first foreign object detection unit 403 of the power transmitting device 100 compares the first reference Q value with the Q value measured by the first Q value measurement unit 400, and determines whether or not a foreign object is present based on the comparison result. For example, the first foreign object detection unit 403 sets a Q value that is a % lower than the first reference Q value as a threshold value, and determines that there is a high possibility that a foreign object is present if the measured Q value is lower than the threshold value, and otherwise determines that there is a high possibility that there is no foreign object.

[0035] (2) Foreign object detection method based on power loss technique (second foreign object detection method) Next, a foreign object detection method based on the power loss method defined in the WPC standard will be described with reference to Fig. 21. Fig. 21 is a diagram for explaining the foreign object detection method using the power loss method, in which the horizontal axis indicates the transmitted power of the power transmitting device 100 and the vertical axis indicates the received power of the power receiving device 101. Note that the transmitted power by the power transmitting unit 302 of the power transmitting device 100 is controlled by the power transmission control unit 406.

[0036] First, the power transmitting unit 302 of the power transmitting device 100 transmits a Digital Ping to the power receiving device 101. Then, the communication unit 304 of the power transmitting device 100 receives a received power value Pr1 (referred to as Light Load) of the power receiving device 101 by a Received Power Packet (mode 1). Note that Received Power Packet (mode 1) will be referred to as "RP1" hereinafter. The received power value Pr1 is the received power value when the power receiving device 101 is not supplying received power to a load (such as the charging unit 205 and battery 206). The control unit 300 of the power transmitting device 100 stores in the memory 305 the relationship between the received received power value Pr1 and the transmitted power value Pt1 when the received power value Pr1 was obtained (point 1200 in FIG. 21 ). As a result, the power transmitting device 100 calculates the power loss amount between the power transmitting device 100 and the power receiving device 101 when transmitting power at the transmission power value Pt1 as Pt1-Pr1(P loss 1) It can be recognized that

[0037] Next, the communication unit 304 of the power transmitting device 100 receives the value of the received power value Pr2 (referred to as Connected Load) of the power receiving device 101 from the power receiving device 101 in a Received Power Packet (mode 2). Note that Received Power Packet (mode 2) will be referred to as "RP2" below. Pr2 is the received power value when the power receiving device 101 is supplying the received power to a load. Then, the control unit 300 of the power transmitting device 100 stores in the memory 305 the relationship between the received received power value Pr2 and the transmitted power value Pt2 when the received power value Pr2 was obtained (point 1201 in FIG. 21). As a result, the power transmitting device 100 calculates the amount of power loss between the power transmitting device 100 and the power receiving device 101 when transmitting power at the transmitted power value Pt2 as Pt2-Pr2(Pt2-Pr2). loss 2) It can be recognized that

[0038] Then, the calibration unit 402 of the power transmitting device 100 linearly interpolates between the points 1200 and 1201 to create a straight line 1202. The straight line 1202 corresponds to the relationship between the transmitted power and the received power in a state where no foreign object is present around the power transmitting device 100 and the power receiving device 101. Therefore, the power transmitting device 100 can predict the received power value in a state where there is a high possibility that no foreign object is present, from the transmitted power value and the straight line 1202. For example, when the transmitted power value is Pt3, the power transmitting device 100 can predict the received power value Pr3 from the point 1203 on the straight line 1202 that corresponds to the transmitted power value Pt3.

[0039] Here, it is assumed that when the power transmitting unit 302 of the power transmitting device 100 transmits power to the power receiving device 101 at a transmission power value Pt3, the communication unit 304 receives a received power value Pr3' from the power receiving device 101. The second foreign object detection unit 404 of the power transmitting device 100 subtracts the received power value Pr3' actually received from the power receiving device 101 from the received power value Pr3 in a state where no foreign object is present, to obtain a value Pr3-Pr3' (=P loss _FO) is calculated. loss _FO can be considered to be the amount of power loss consumed by a foreign object when the foreign object is present between the power transmitting device 100 and the power receiving device 101. For this reason, the second foreign object detection unit 404 calculates the power value P loss If _FO exceeds a predetermined threshold, it can be determined that a foreign object is present. This threshold is derived based on the relationship between point 1200 and point 1201, for example.

[0040] Furthermore, the second foreign object detector 404 of the power transmitting device 100 calculates in advance the amount of power loss Pt3-Pr3 (Pt3) between the power transmitting device 100 and the power receiving device 101 from the received power value Pr3 in a state where no foreign object is present. loss Then, the second foreign object detector 404 calculates the amount of power loss Pt3-Pr3' (Pt3) between the power transmitting device 100 and the power receiving device 101 in the presence of a foreign object from the received power value Pr3' received from the power receiving device 101 in the state where it is unclear whether a foreign object is present. loss 3'). Then, the second foreign object detection unit 404 calculates P loss3'-P loss 3 is calculated, and if this value exceeds a predetermined threshold, it can be determined that a foreign object is present. loss 3'-P loss 3=Pt3-Pr3'-Pt3+Pr3=Pr3-Pr3'. Therefore, by comparing the amount of power loss, the power P loss _FO can also be estimated.

[0041] As mentioned above, the power consumption P loss _FO may be calculated as the difference in received power Pr3-Pr3' or the difference in power loss P loss 3'-P loss 3(=P loss _FO).

[0042] After the calibration unit 402 acquires the straight line 1202, the second foreign object detection unit 404 of the power transmitting device 100 periodically receives the current received power value (for example, the above-mentioned received power value Pr3') from the power receiving device 101 via the communication unit 304. The current received power value periodically transmitted by the power receiving device 101 is transmitted to the power transmitting device 100 as a Received Power Packet (mode 0). The second foreign object detection unit 404 of the power transmitting device 100 performs foreign object detection based on the received power value stored in the Received Power Packet (mode 0) and the straight line 1202. Note that Received Power Packet (mode 0) will be referred to as "RP0" below. The received power values stored in the Received Power Packets (RP1, RP2, RP0) will be referred to as calibration data.

[0043] In this embodiment, points 1200 and 1201 for obtaining a straight line 1202 in a state where no foreign object is present around the power transmitting device 100 and the power receiving device 101 are called "calibration data points." A line segment (straight line 1202) obtained by interpolating at least two calibration data points is called a "calibration curve." The calibration data points and the calibration curve are used for foreign object detection processing by the second foreign object detection unit 404.

[0044] (3) Foreign object detection method based on Q-value measured in the time domain (third foreign object detection method) The above is the foreign object detection method according to the WPC standard, but other methods are also possible for measuring the Q value. Next, a third foreign object detection method will be described with reference to Figures 20(a) and 20(b).

[0045] 20(a) and 20(b) are conceptual diagrams for explaining a method for measuring a Q value in the time domain (second Q value measurement). In this embodiment, the foreign object detection method based on the second Q value is called a third foreign object detection method. The second Q value measurement is performed by the second Q value measurement unit 401. Furthermore, the control of the transmitted power by the power transmission unit 302 of the power transmitting device 100 is performed by the power transmission control unit 406. In the second Q value measurement, the power transmitting device 100 and the power receiving device 101 turn on their switches for the same period, causing a momentary interruption in power transmission and preventing the received power from being delivered to the load. This causes, for example, the voltage applied to the coil to decrease exponentially. The second Q value is then calculated based on the manner in which this decrease occurs.

[0046] Waveform 1100 in FIG. 20(a) shows the time course of the value of the high-frequency voltage applied to the end of the power transmitting coil 303 or the resonant capacitor 306 of the power transmitting device 100 (hereinafter simply referred to as the "voltage value of the power transmitting coil"). Note that in FIGS. 20(a) and 20(b), the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the voltage value. At time T0, the application of the high-frequency voltage (power transmission) is stopped. Point 1101 is a point on the envelope of the high-frequency voltage (in other words, a point of maximum value), and is the high-frequency voltage at time T1. (T1, A1) in FIG. 20(a) indicates that the voltage value at time T1 is A1. Similarly, point 1102 is a point on the envelope of the high-frequency voltage, and is the high-frequency voltage at time T2. (T2, A2) in FIG. 20(a) indicates that the voltage value at time T2 is A2.

[0047] The second Q value measurement is performed based on the change in the voltage value over time after time T0. For example, the Q value is calculated using the following equation 1 based on the time, voltage value, and frequency f of the high-frequency voltage (hereinafter, f will be referred to as the operating frequency) at points 1101 and 1102, which are the envelope of the voltage value. Q=πf(T2-T1) / ln(A1 / A2) (Equation 1) That is, the Q value here is an electrical characteristic determined by the relationship between the elapsed time of the power transmitting coil 303 after power transmission is limited (stopped) for a predetermined period of time and the amount of voltage drop at that time.

[0048] Next, the process for measuring the Q-factor in the time domain by the power transmitting device 100 in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 20(b). Waveform 1103 shows the value of the high-frequency voltage applied to the power transmitting coil 303, and its frequency is between 100 kHz and 148.5 kHz, which is used in the Qi standard. Points 1104 and 1105 are part of the envelope of the voltage value.

[0049] For example, the power transmitting unit 302 of the power transmitting device 100 stops power transmission from time T0 to T5. The second Q-value measuring unit 401 of the power transmitting device 100 measures the Q-value based on the voltage value A3 at time T3 (point 1104), the voltage value A4 at time T4 (point 1105), and the operating frequency of the high-frequency voltage, according to Equation 1 above. The power transmitting unit 302 of the power transmitting device 100 resumes power transmission at time T5. In this manner, the second Q-value measurement is performed by the power transmitting device 100 momentarily interrupting power transmission and measuring the Q-value based on the elapsed time, the voltage value, and the operating frequency. Similarly, in the power receiving device 101, the second Q-value is measured as an electrical characteristic determined by the relationship between the elapsed time of the power receiving coil 201 after power transmission is limited (stopped) and the amount of voltage drop at that time. In this embodiment, this method of measuring the Q-value in the time domain is called a Q-value measurement method using a waveform decay method.

[0050] Furthermore, the third foreign object detection unit 405 of the power transmitting device 100 compares the first reference Q value with the Q value measured by the second Q value measurement unit 401, and determines whether or not a foreign object is present based on the comparison result. For example, the third foreign object detection unit 405 sets a Q value that is a % lower than the first reference Q value as a threshold value, and determines that there is a high possibility that a foreign object is present if the measured Q value is lower than the threshold value, and otherwise determines that there is a high possibility that there is no foreign object.

[0051] Although the Q-factor measurement method using the waveform attenuation method has been described as being performed by the power transmitting device 100, this is not limiting and the power receiving device 101 may also be configured to perform the method. FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a functional configuration realized by the control unit 200 of the power receiving device 101. The control unit 200 operates as each functional unit by executing a program. The Q-factor measurement unit 501 measures the Q-factor in the time domain (second Q-factor measurement). The foreign object detection unit 500 performs foreign object detection processing (third foreign object detection processing) based on the second Q-factor measured by the Q-factor measurement unit 501. Each processing unit shown in FIG. 5 is configured as an independent program and operates in parallel while maintaining synchronization between the programs through event processing or the like. In this way, the power receiving device 101 may have the configuration shown in FIG. 5, and the third foreign object detection processing may be performed by the Q-factor measurement unit 501 of the power receiving device 101.

[0052] Furthermore, in the waveform decay method described above, the Q value is measured based on the relationship between the time elapsed in the power transmitting coil 303 after power transmission is limited (stopped) for a predetermined period and the amount of voltage drop at that time, but this is not limiting. For example, the Q value can also be measured based on the relationship between the time elapsed in the power transmitting coil 303 after power transmission is limited (stopped) for a predetermined period and the amount of current drop at that time. In other words, the third foreign object detection process is a method of detecting a foreign object using a Q value measured based on voltage or current values at at least two points in time during the predetermined period during which power transmission is limited.

[0053] (Basic operation of power transmitting and receiving devices) Next, an example of the operation when the third foreign object detection process is applied in the process conforming to the WPC standard will be described with reference to FIG.

[0054] The power transmitting device 100 transmits an Analog Ping to detect an object present near the power transmitting coil 303 (F600). The Analog Ping is a pulsed power for detecting an object. The Analog Ping is such a small power that even if the power receiving device 101 receives it, it cannot start the control unit 200. The power transmitting device 100 detects the object by detecting a shift in the resonant frequency of the voltage value inside the power transmitting coil 303 due to an object present near the power transmitting coil 303, or a change in the voltage value and current value flowing through the power transmitting coil 303, using the Analog Ping.

[0055] When the power transmitting device 100 detects an object by the Analog Ping, it measures the Q value of the power transmitting coil 303 by the first Q value measurement described above (F601). Then, following the first Q value measurement, the power transmitting device 100 starts transmitting a Digital Ping (F602). The Digital Ping is power for starting the control unit 200 of the power receiving device 101, and is greater than the Analog Ping. Furthermore, the Digital Ping is transmitted continuously thereafter. That is, the power transmitting device 100 continues to transmit power equal to or greater than the Digital Ping from the time it starts transmitting the Digital Ping until it receives an EPT (End Power Transfer) packet (described later) from the power receiving device 101 (F633).

[0056] When the power receiving device 101 receives a Digital Ping and the control unit 200 starts up, the power receiving device 101 stores the voltage value of the received Digital Ping in a Signal Strength packet and transmits the packet to the power transmitting device 100 (F603). Next, the power receiving device 101 transmits to the power transmitting device 100 an ID packet storing an ID including version information of the WPC standard to which the power receiving device 101 complies and device identification information (F604). Furthermore, the power receiving device 101 transmits to the power transmitting device 100 a Configuration packet including information such as the maximum value of power that the voltage control unit 203 supplies to the load (charging unit 205) (F605). Here, it is assumed that the power receiving device 101 of this embodiment has the ability to supply a maximum of 15 watts of power to the load.

[0057] As described above, the power transmitting device 100 receives the ID packet and the Configuration packet. If the power transmitting device 100 determines from these packets that the power receiving device 101 supports an extended protocol of WPC standard v1.2 or later (including Negotiation, which will be described later), the power transmitting device 100 responds with an ACK (acknowledgement) (F606).

[0058] When the power receiving device 101 receives the ACK, it transitions to a negotiation phase in which negotiations are performed regarding the power to be transmitted and received. First, the power receiving device 101 transmits an FOD Status packet to the power transmitting device 100 (F607). In this embodiment, the FOD Status packet transmitted in F607 is called "FOD(Q1)." The power transmitting device 100 performs foreign object detection using a first foreign object detection method based on the Q value stored in the received FOD(Q1) and the Q value measured in the first Q value measurement. Then, if the power transmitting device 100 determines that there is a high possibility that a foreign object is not present, it transmits an ACK indicating the determination result to the power receiving device 101 (F608).

[0059] When the power receiving apparatus 101 receives the ACK, it negotiates Guaranteed Power (GP), which is the maximum value of the power value that the power receiving apparatus 101 requests to receive. GP indicates the load power of the power receiving apparatus 101 (the power consumed by the battery 206) agreed upon with the power transmitting apparatus 100. This negotiation is realized by the power receiving apparatus 101 transmitting to the power transmitting apparatus 100 a packet that stores the requested GP value, which is one of the Specific Requests defined in the WPC standard (F609). In this embodiment, this packet is called an "SRQ(GP)."

[0060] The power transmitting device 100 responds to the SRQ(GP) taking into consideration the power transmission capability of the power transmitting device 100 and the like. If the power transmitting device 100 determines that the GP is acceptable, it transmits an ACK indicating that the request has been accepted (F610). In this embodiment, the power receiving device 101 has not been able to confirm the legitimacy of the power transmitting device 100 through authentication, which will be described later, and therefore has requested a GP of 5 watts instead of 15 watts through the SRQ(GP). When the power receiving device 101 completes negotiation of multiple parameters including the GP, it transmits an "SRQ(EN)" of the Specific Requests requesting the end of negotiation (End Negotiation) to the power transmitting device 100 (F611). Then, the power transmitting device 100 transmits an ACK in response to the SRQ(EN) (F612), ends the Negotiation phase, and transitions to the Power Transfer phase in which power defined by the GP is transmitted and received.

[0061] Next, the power transmitting device 100 creates a calibration curve for executing the foreign object detection method (second foreign object detection method) based on the power loss technique described above. Here, a case where the third foreign object detection is performed will be described. A reserved field in a Received Power Packet transmitted by the power receiving apparatus 101 includes an information element requesting the power transmitting apparatus 100 to perform a second Q-value measurement. For example, a 1-bit field indicating whether or not to request the second Q-value measurement is provided in the reserved field. The power receiving apparatus 101 stores "1" in that bit if the second Q-value measurement is requested, and stores "0" if the second Q-value measurement is not requested. In this embodiment, this bit is called a "request bit." In this embodiment, RP1 with "1" stored in the request bit is expressed as RP1(FOD), and as shown in FIG. 6, the power receiving apparatus 101 transmits RP1(FOD) to the power transmitting apparatus 100 (F613).

[0062] When the power transmitting device 100 receives RP1 (FOD), it performs a second Q-value measurement (F614). The power transmitting device 100 determines a response to RP1 and RP2 (described later) based on the following three pieces of information. The first piece of information is the time T offset Period ending before T window The first information is whether the transmission power value within this period is stable (or the fluctuations are below a specific threshold). The second information is whether the integer stored in a Control Error Packet (CE), which will be described later, is smaller than a specific value. The third information is the result of the third foreign object detection process. Here, it is assumed that the transmission power value is stable, and that the third foreign object detection has determined that there is a high possibility that no foreign object is present. In this case, the power transmitting device 100 determines to accept the received power value stored in RP1 (FOD) and the transmitted power value of the power transmitting device 100 when the received power was obtained as calibration data points (corresponding to point 1200 in FIG. 21). Then, the power transmitting device 100 transmits an ACK to the power receiving device 101 (F615).

[0063] Next, the power receiving device 101 transmits CE(+) to the power transmitting device 100, requesting an increase in the receiving voltage (or receiving current, or receiving power) (F616). Here, an integer with a + sign is stored in CE if an increase in the receiving voltage is requested, an integer with a - sign is stored if a decrease is requested, and "0" is stored if the current receiving voltage is to be maintained. In this embodiment, a CE having an integer with a + sign stored therein is called CE(+), a CE having an integer with a - sign stored therein is called CE(-), and a CE having "0" stored therein is called CE(0). Meanwhile, the power transmitting device 100 promptly controls power transmission based on the sign and integer stored in CE. Specifically, if an integer with a + sign is stored therein, the power transmitting device 100 promptly increases the transmitting voltage, if an integer with a - sign is stored therein, the power transmitting device 100 promptly decreases the transmitting voltage, and if "0" is stored therein, the power transmitting device 100 maintains the transmitting voltage. Upon receiving CE(+), the power transmitting device 100 changes the setting value of the power transmitting unit 302 to increase the transmitting power. When the received power increases in response to CE(+), the power receiving device 101 supplies the received power to a load (the charging unit 205 or the battery 206).

[0064] Next, the power receiving device 101 transmits RP2(FOD) with "1" stored in the request bit to the power transmitting device 100 (F617). The power transmitting device 100 performs the second Q-value measurement in response to the second Q-value measurement request (F618) and determines that there is a high possibility that no foreign object is present based on the third foreign object detection. In this case, too, the power transmitting device 100 determines to accept the received power value stored in RP2(FOD) and the transmitted power value of the power transmitting device 100 when that received power was obtained as calibration data points (corresponding to point 1201 in FIG. 21). Then, the power transmitting device 100 transmits an ACK to the power receiving device 101 (F619).

[0065] The power receiving apparatus 101 continues to transmit CE(+) to the power transmitting apparatus 100 (F620). Then, upon receiving CE(+), the power transmitting apparatus 100 changes the setting value of the power transmitting unit 302 to increase the transmitted power.

[0066] Next, the power receiving device 101 transmits RP0 with "0" stored in the request bit to the power transmitting device 100 (F621). When the power transmitting device 100 receives RP0, it does not perform the third foreign object detection process because the request bit stores "0", and instead performs the second foreign object detection process based on the calibration curve in Fig. 21. As a result, if it is determined that there is a high possibility that a foreign object is not present, the power transmitting device 100 transmits an ACK to the power receiving device 101 (F622).

[0067] Here, the authentication process (F634) performed between the power transmitting apparatus 100 and the power receiving apparatus 101 will be described. The authentication process is a process in which the power receiving apparatus 101 authenticates the validity of the power transmitting apparatus 100 (or vice versa) using an electronic certificate. This process is performed by the authentication processing units 308 and 209 of the power transmitting apparatus 100 and the power receiving apparatus 101, and is performed between the power receiving apparatus 101 and the power transmitting apparatus 100 asynchronously and independently of the flow from F600 to F633. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the flow from F619 to F622 and the authentication process (F634) are performed in parallel. The control unit 200 (control unit 300) functions as an authentication processing unit to realize the authentication process.

[0068] Then, when the power receiving device 101 confirms that the power transmitting device 100 is authentic through the authentication process, it can request power greater than a predetermined value (e.g., GP is 5 watts, F609) from the power transmitting device 100. Also, when the power transmitting device 100 confirms that the power receiving device 101 is authentic through the authentication process, it can accept power greater than a predetermined value (e.g., GP is 5 watts, F609) as a GP from the power transmitting device 100. Furthermore, the power receiving device 101 may change the output voltage of the voltage control unit 203 depending on the size of the GP. For example, if the GP is 5 watts, the output voltage is 5 volts, but if the GP exceeds 5 watts, the output voltage may be changed to 9 volts. Also, the change in output voltage is performed asynchronously and independently of communication between the power transmitting device 100 and the power receiving device 101, similar to the authentication process.

[0069] 6, when the power receiving apparatus 101 confirms that the power transmitting apparatus 100 is valid in the authentication process (F634), it transmits a renegotiation request to the power transmitting apparatus 100 (F623). Then, the power transmitting apparatus 100 transmits an ACK signal to the power receiving apparatus 101 to acknowledge the renegotiation request (F624).

[0070] Next, the power receiving device 101 transmits an SRQ (GP) requesting 15 watts as GP (F625), and the power transmitting device 100 transmits an ACK accepting this to the power receiving device 101 (F626). Then, the power receiving device 101 transmits an SRQ (EN) in the same manner as described above (F627), and the power transmitting device 100 transmits an ACK to end the renegotiation (F628).

[0071] Here, it is assumed that the voltage control unit 203 of the power receiving device 101 has changed the output voltage (F635). When the output voltage is changed, the loss of the voltage control unit 203 changes, so it is necessary to discard the calibration curve that has already been created and create a new one. In this embodiment, this process is called re-calibration processing.

[0072] The power transmitting device 100 and the power receiving device 101 perform recalibration processing (F629) based on the flow from F613 to F619 described above. Here, in FIG. 21 , the calibration data point created by RP1 (FOD) of the recalibration processing (F629) is designated as point 1204. Also, the calibration data point created by RP2 (FOD) of the recalibration processing (F629) is designated as point 1205. Thereafter, the power transmitting device 100 performs the second foreign object detection processing based on the line segment (calibration curve) connecting point 1204 and point 1205.

[0073] When the recalibration process is completed, the power receiving device 101 again transmits CE(+) to the power transmitting device 100 (F630), increases the output power to 5 watts or more, and performs charging. Then, the power receiving device 101 transmits RP0 to the power transmitting device 100 (F631). The power transmitting device 100 performs a second foreign object detection process, determines that there is a high possibility that no foreign object is present, and transmits an ACK to the power receiving device 101 (F632). Then, when charging is completed, the power receiving device 101 transmits an EPT (End Power Transfer) packet to the power transmitting device 100 to request that power transmission be stopped (F633).

[0074] As described above, wireless power transmission is performed between the power transmitting device 100 and the power receiving device 101 based on the first foreign object detection process, the second foreign object detection process, the third foreign object detection process, the authentication process, and the change in output voltage.

[0075] (Third foreign object detection process based on multiple second Q value measurements) In the sequence of FIG. 6, the power transmitting device 100 performed the third foreign object detection process based on the result of the second Q value measurement each time it performed it. Here, the power transmitting device 100 may perform the second Q value measurement multiple times and perform the third foreign object detection process based on these results. Therefore, this process will be explained using FIG. 7(a). Note that in FIG. 7(a), the power transmitting device 100 performs the second Q value measurement twice and performs the third foreign object detection process based on the result. The sequence explained below is the process corresponding to F613 to F615 in FIG. 6.

[0076] First, the power receiving apparatus 101 transmits RP1(FOD) to the power transmitting apparatus 100 (F636). Upon receiving RP1(FOD), the power transmitting apparatus 100 performs a second Q-value measurement (F637). Here, the second Q-value measurement performed by the power transmitting apparatus 100 (F637) is the first of two measurements that the power transmitting apparatus 100 will perform. In this case, the power transmitting apparatus 100 does not determine whether to accept the calibration data included in the received RP1(FOD) as a calibration data point. Therefore, the power transmitting apparatus 100 transmits a response to the power receiving apparatus 101 indicating that it will not determine whether to accept the calibration data as a calibration data point (F638) in response to RP1(FOD) (F636).

[0077] Next, the power receiving apparatus 101 transmits CE(0) to the power transmitting apparatus 100 requesting that the received voltage be maintained (F639). Then, the power receiving apparatus 101 transmits RP1(FOD) again to the power transmitting apparatus 100 (F640).

[0078] When the power transmitting device 100 receives RP1 (FOD) again, it performs the second Q-value measurement again (F641). In this case, the second Q-value measurement (F641) performed by the power transmitting device 100 is the second of two measurements. windowAssume that the transmitted power value during the period T is stable, and the third foreign object detection unit 405 determines that there is a high possibility that no foreign object is present due to the third foreign object detection. In this case, the power transmitting device 100 determines to accept the received power value stored in RP1 (FOD) and the transmitted power value of the power transmitting device 100 when the received power value was obtained as a calibration data point (corresponding to point 1200 in FIG. 21). Note that the transmitted power value at this time is window The transmitted power value is within the range of 100 to 1000. Then, an ACK is transmitted to the power receiving apparatus 101 (F642).

[0079] (Response Issues) Here, the problem of missing responses will be explained with reference to FIG. 7(b). As described above, when the second Q-value measurement is performed multiple times and the third foreign object detection process is performed based on these results, the power transmitting device transmits a response indicating that no judgment is made in response to the first RP1(FOD) (F643). However, the power receiving device may not receive this response. In this case, the power receiving device retransmits the first RP1(FOD) (F644).

[0080] When the power transmitting device receives RP1(FOD) retransmitted in F644, it performs a second Q-value measurement (F645). Here, the RP1(FOD) retransmitted by the power receiving device as the first time is received by the power transmitting device as the second time. In other words, a state occurs in which the power receiving device and the power transmitting device have different understandings of the number of RP1(FOD). Hereinafter, this state is referred to as a state mismatch. Therefore, the power transmitting device performs the second of the two second Q-value measurements (F645) and transmits an ACK to the power receiving device (F646).

[0081] The power receiving device expects to receive a response indicating that it will not make a decision in response to the first RP1(FOD)(F644), but ends up receiving an ACK. Again, a status mismatch occurs. This creates a problem: once a status mismatch occurs due to a missed response, it cannot be resolved.

[0082] (Power receiving device action to resolve status mismatch) When the power receiving device 101 of this embodiment determines that a state mismatch has occurred, it performs processing to quickly resolve the state mismatch. Hereinafter, the operation of the power receiving device 101 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

[0083] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure for resolving the state mismatch by the power receiving apparatus 101 in this embodiment. First, in S700, the control unit 200 of the power receiving apparatus 101 transmits an RP packet with a request bit set to "1" (i.e., indicating RPx (FOD), where x is an integer) via the communication unit 204. Then, in S701, the control unit 200 resets a timer for retransmission.

[0084] Next, in S702, the control unit 200 determines whether or not a response to RPx (FOD) has been received via the communication unit 204. If the result of this determination is that a response to RPx (FOD) has not been received (NO in S702), the control unit 200 determines in S703 whether or not a timeout has occurred. If the result of this determination is that a timeout has not occurred (NO in S703), the process returns to S702. On the other hand, if the result of the determination in S703 is that a timeout has occurred (YES in S703), the process returns to S700, and the control unit 200 resends RPx (FOD). On the other hand, if the result of the determination in S702 is that a response to RPx (FOD) has been received (YES in S702), the control unit 200 performs first count processing in S704.

[0085] 15(a) shows the first counting process in this embodiment. In S800, the control unit 200 of the power receiving device 101 increments M in the first counting process. Here, M indicates the number of times a response has been received from the power transmitting device 100 in response to the transmitted RPx (FOD). If a response is received in response to the first RPx (FOD), M is 1, and if a response is received in response to the second RPx (FOD), M is 2. The fact that the power transmitting device 100 has transmitted a response indicates that the power transmitting device 100 has received the Mth PRx (FOD). In other words, the power transmitting device 100 knows which of the two RPx (FOD) it has received. The power receiving device 101 counts M to detect a mismatch in status with the power transmitting device 100. It is assumed that M is incremented by "1" when the power receiving device 101 receives a response.

[0086] Next, in S705, the control unit 200 determines whether M is equal to or less than N. Here, N indicates the number of times the second Q-value measurements are performed for one third foreign object detection process. Here, if the power transmitting device 100 performs the third foreign object detection process based on the results of two second Q-value measurements, N is "2." If the result of this determination is that M is equal to or less than N (YES in S705), the process proceeds to S706.

[0087] In S706, the control unit 200 further determines whether M and N are equal. If the result of this determination shows that M and N are not equal (NO in S706), the process proceeds to S707. In S707, the control unit 200 determines whether the response received in S702 is an ACK or a NAK (negative response). If the result of this determination shows that the response is not an ACK or a NAK (NO in S707), the control unit 200 determines in S710 whether the response received in S702 is a response indicating "no determination." If the result of this determination shows that the response is "no determination" (YES in S710), the process ends because this is the expected response.

[0088] On the other hand, if the result of the determination in S710 is that the response is not "no determination" (NO in S710), it indicates that the response is different from what was expected. In this case, the process proceeds to S708. Similarly, if the result of the determination in S707 is that the response is ACK or NAK (NO in S707), the response is different from what was expected, so the process proceeds to S708.

[0089] Furthermore, if the result of the determination in S706 is that M and N are equal (YES in S706), then in S709 the control unit 200 determines whether the response received in S702 is an ACK or a NAK indicating denial. If the result of this determination is that the response is an ACK or a NAK (YES in S709), then the response is as expected and the process ends. Note that if a NAK is received, then processing such as resending RPx (FOD) will be performed. On the other hand, if the result of the determination in S709 is that the response is not an ACK or a NAK (NO in S709), then the response is similarly different from what was expected and the process proceeds to S708.

[0090] In S708, since the power receiving device 101 detects a mismatch in state with the power transmitting device 100, the control unit 200 transmits an EPT to the power transmitting device 100 via the communication unit 204 and ends the process. In this case, based on the request from the power receiving device 101 to stop power transmission, the power transmitting device 100 stops power transmission. Similarly, if the determination result in S705 is that M is greater than N (NO in S705), the process proceeds to S708, where the control unit 200 of the power receiving device 101 transmits the EPT to the power transmitting device 100, and the process ends. It is normally unlikely that M will be greater than N, but this may occur, for example, if a malfunction occurs in the power receiving device 101.

[0091] The operation flow of the power transmitting device 100 and the power receiving device 101 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7(c). As in the example of FIG. 7(b), the power receiving device 101 fails to receive a response indicating "no determination," and retransmits the first RP1(FOD) (F644). Then, when the power transmitting device 100 receives the second RP1(FOD) (M=2) at F644, it transmits an ACK to the power receiving device 101 (F646). Here, since the power receiving device 101 retransmitted the first RP1(FOD) (M=1) at F644, it is assumed that it will receive a response indicating "no determination." However, since the power receiving device 101 received an unexpected response from the power transmitting device 100, a state mismatch occurs. Therefore, in this embodiment, the power receiving device 101 transmits an EPT to stop power transmission (F647), and returns to the initial state to resolve the state mismatch. Then, the power transmitting device 100 and the power receiving device 101 will transmit and receive power again based on the sequence already explained in FIG.

[0092] As described above, according to the present embodiment, if the response from the power transmitting device 100 is unexpected, the power receiving device 101 transmits an EPT to the power transmitting device 100 and terminates the process. In this way, if the power receiving device 101 detects a mismatch in status with the power transmitting device 100, the power receiving device 101 stops power transmission and reception and returns to the initial state, thereby resolving the mismatch and enabling the foreign object detection process to be performed again using the correct procedure. Also, if M is greater than N, the power receiving device 101 transmits an EPT to request that power transmission be stopped. This configuration makes it possible to avoid the risk of accidents, such as smoke or fire, occurring when power transmission and reception is continued despite a malfunction.

[0093] (Second embodiment) In the first embodiment, the power receiving device 101 is configured to transmit an EPT when it detects a mismatch in status and to transmit and receive power again. In this embodiment, a configuration will be described in which, when a mismatch in status occurs, the power receiving device 101 adjusts its own status to the status of the power transmitting device 100 to resolve the mismatch in status. Note that the internal configurations of the power transmitting device and the power receiving device according to this embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment. Differences from the first embodiment will be described below.

[0094] (Power receiving device action to resolve status mismatch) The operation of the power receiving device 101 for resolving the state mismatch in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 11. In this embodiment, the power receiving device 101 has a function of counting the number of times (referred to as the number L) that RPx (FOD) has been transmitted as a second counting process. If the power receiving device 101 detects the state mismatch when the number L becomes equal to or greater than N, it considers that the response transmitted by the power transmitting device 100 has not been received, and operates to adjust its own state to the expected state of the power transmitting device 100.

[0095] 11 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure for resolving a state mismatch by the power receiving apparatus 101 in this embodiment. Note that the same processes as those in FIG. 10 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. S700 and S701 are the same as in Fig. 10, and when the power receiving device 101 resets the timer, in S711 the control unit 200 performs the second counting process. The operation of the second counting process is shown in Fig. 15(b). In S801, the control unit 200 of the power receiving device 101 increments L in the second counting process.

[0096] S702 to S707 are the same as in Fig. 10, and if the result of the determination in S706 is that M is equal to N, the process proceeds to S713, and if the result of the determination in S707 is that the response is an ACK or a NAK (YES in S707), the process proceeds to S712. Here, if the response is an ACK or a NAK (YES in S707), the power receiving device 101 has received a response different from what was expected, and a state mismatch has occurred. Therefore, the power receiving device 101 determines whether or not it has received a response indicating "no determination" that was previously sent by the power transmitting device 100.

[0097] In S712, the control unit 200 of the power receiving device 101 determines whether L is equal to or greater than N. If the result of this determination is that L is equal to or greater than N (YES in S712), it can be determined that a state mismatch occurred because the power receiving device 101 was unable to receive the response transmitted by the power transmitting device 100. Furthermore, the power receiving device 101 can determine that the reason M is smaller than N is because it transmitted RPx(FOD) L times but did not receive a response from the power transmitting device 100 indicating "no determination" and therefore did not increment M. At this point, the power receiving device 101 considers that the power transmitting device 100 transmitted an ACK or NAK after performing the second Q-value measurement a predetermined number of times, determines that it received a response indicating "no determination," and adjusts its own state to the state of the power transmitting device 100. In other words, if the result of the determination in S712 is that L is equal to or greater than N (YES in S712), the process ends, and RP2(FOD) or RP0(FOD) is transmitted thereafter. On the other hand, if the result of the determination in S712 is that L is less than N (NO in S712), the process proceeds to S708 as in the first embodiment. Also, if a NAK is received in response to RPx(FOD), processing such as resending RPx(FOD) is performed.

[0098] On the other hand, if the result of the determination in S706 is that M is equal to N (YES in S706), the control unit 200 determines in S713 whether the received response is "no determination", ACK, or NAK. If the result of this determination is that the response is "no determination", ACK, or NAK (YES in S713), the process also ends, otherwise proceeds to S708.

[0099] In this embodiment, even if the response in S713 indicates "no determination" (YES in S713), the power receiving apparatus 101 operates to adjust its own state to the state of the power transmitting apparatus 100. In other words, if a response indicating "no determination" is received, the power receiving apparatus 101 does not transmit an EPT but transmits RPx(FOD) again. Similarly, if a NAK is received, the power receiving apparatus 101 performs processing such as transmitting RPx(FOD) again. Furthermore, if an ACK is received in response to RPx(FOD), the processing ends, and thereafter RP2(FOD) or RP0(FOD) is transmitted.

[0100] The operation flow of the power transmitting device 100 and the power receiving device 101 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7(d). As in the example of FIG. 7(b), the power receiving device 101 fails to receive a response indicating "no determination," and retransmits the first RP1(FOD) (F644). At this time, M in the first counting process is 1, and L in the second counting process is 2. At this stage, M=1, so the power receiving device 101 expects to receive a response indicating "no determination," but receives an ACK from the power transmitting device 100 (F646). In this case, L is 2, which is greater than or equal to N (=2). Therefore, the power receiving device 101 does not receive a response indicating "no determination," but considers that the power transmitting device 100 performed the second Q-value measurement a predetermined number of times and then transmitted an ACK. Therefore, the power receiving device 101 does not transmit an EPT, and subsequently transmits RP2(FOD) (F648).

[0101] As described above, according to the present embodiment, when the power receiving device 101 detects a state mismatch, it operates to adjust its own state to match the state of the power transmitting device 100. In this way, it is possible to more efficiently resolve the state mismatch while minimizing interruptions in power transmission and reception, and perform foreign object detection processing in the correct procedure.

[0102] Furthermore, in this embodiment, a case has been described in which the power receiving apparatus 101 is unable to receive a response indicating "no determination", but the same effect can be achieved in the case in which an ACK is not received in F646. The flow of operations in this case will be described with reference to FIG. 9(a). The power receiving apparatus 101 is unable to receive an ACK, and so retransmits RP1(FOD) for the second time (F655). Since the power transmitting apparatus 100 has already transmitted an ACK in response to the second RP1(FOD), it transmits a response indicating "no determination" in response to the second RP1(FOD) received in F655 (F657).

[0103] 11, the power receiving device 101 determines that M and N are equal, and so proceeds to S713. The power receiving device 101 then expects to receive an ACK or NAK in response to the RP1(FOD) sent at F655, but determines that a state mismatch has occurred when the power receiving device 101 receives the response "no determination" at F657. Furthermore, the power receiving device 101 also determines that the state mismatch has occurred because it was not able to receive an ACK at F654 and that the power transmitting device 100 was in a state where it would send a response "no determination" (i.e., it has received the first RPx(FOD)).

[0104] Therefore, the power receiving apparatus 101 does not transmit an EPT, but retransmits RP1 (FOD) to receive an ACK or NAK response (F660) in order to match its own state with the state of the power transmitting apparatus 100. As a result, the power transmitting apparatus 100 performs a second Q-value measurement (F661) and transmits an ACK (F662).

[0105] Furthermore, when the power receiving apparatus 101 detects a mismatch in status, it may continue to transmit the RPx (FOD) that it was transmitting at the time of the detection until it receives an ACK or a NAK.

[0106] (Third embodiment) The power receiving device 101 of this embodiment determines the state of the power transmitting device 100 by observing the voltage value of the power receiving coil 201, and operates to adjust its own state to the state of the power transmitting device 100. The operation of the power receiving device 101 of this embodiment will be described below with reference to FIG. 12. Note that the internal configurations of the power transmitting device and the power receiving device according to this embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment. Differences from the first and second embodiments will be described below.

[0107] 12 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure for resolving a state mismatch by the power receiving apparatus 101 in this embodiment. Note that the same processes as those in FIG. 10 or 11 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. 10, and when the power receiving apparatus 101 resets the timer, the control unit 200 of the power receiving apparatus 101 performs a first counting process in S714. The first counting process of this embodiment is shown in FIG. 15(c).

[0108] FIG. 15C is a flowchart showing an example of the detailed procedure of the first counting process in S714 of FIG. First, in S803, the control unit 200 of the power receiving device 101 increments L and observes the voltage value of the power receiving coil 201. Then, in S804, the control unit 200 determines whether or not there has been an instantaneous interruption as a result of observing the voltage value. The voltage value of the power receiving coil 201 when the power transmitting device 100 performs the second Q value measurement has a waveform that indicates that there has been an instantaneous interruption in power transmission, as shown in FIG. 20(b). If the determination in S804 shows that there has been an instantaneous interruption (YES in S804), the control unit 200 increments M in S805. On the other hand, if there has not been an instantaneous interruption (NO in S804), the control unit 200 does not increment M and ends the process.

[0109] 10, and if the determination result of S703 is that a timeout has occurred (YES in S703), the process proceeds to S715. Then, in S715, the control unit 200 determines whether M and N are equal. If the determination result shows that M and N are not equal (NO in S715), the process ends, and if M and N are equal (YES in S715), the process returns to S700.

[0110] Next, the processing flow of the power transmitting device 100 and the power receiving device 101 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 7(d). The power receiving device 101 detects that the power transmitting device 100 has momentarily interrupted power transmission for the first second Q-value measurement in F637, and M is incremented at this stage. Thereafter, even if a response (a response indicating "no determination") is not received in S702 and a timeout occurs (YES in S703), it is determined in S715 that M and N are not equal, since M=1 while N=2. In this way, even if the response indicating "no determination" is not received, the power receiving device 101 considers that the response has been received, and can then transmit the second RP1(FOD) (F644).

[0111] As described above, according to this embodiment, the power receiving device 101 is able to determine how many times the power transmitting device 100 has performed the second Q value measurement by observing the voltage value of the power receiving coil 201. This allows the foreign object detection process to be performed in the correct procedure more efficiently, preventing inconsistencies in status while minimizing interruptions in power transmission and reception.

[0112] (Fourth embodiment) The power receiving device 101 of this embodiment will be described as having a configuration in which the power receiving device 101 notifies the power transmitting device 100 of the number of times M that the power receiving device 101 has received responses that it currently knows, thereby avoiding a state mismatch. Note that the internal configurations of the power transmitting device and the power receiving device according to this embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment. Below, differences from the first and second embodiments will be described.

[0113] (Operation of the power receiving device of this embodiment) First, the operation of the power receiving device 101 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 13. Fig. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure for resolving a state mismatch by the power receiving device 101 in this embodiment. Note that the same processes as those in Fig. 10 or 11 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. First, in S716, the control unit 200 of the power receiving device 101 stores information about the number of times M a response has been received in the Count field of the RPx (FOD) packet and transmits the packet to the power transmitting device 100. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing the format of a Received Power Packet in the WPC standard. As shown in FIG. 19, bits 3 to 7 of "Bank0" are reserved areas, and the power receiving device 101 of this embodiment stores information about the number of times M a response has been received in bits 6 and 7 of "Bank0". Furthermore, in S717, the control unit 200 increments M as shown in FIG. 15(a).

[0114] (Operation of the power transmission device of this embodiment) Next, the operation of the power transmitting device 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 16. Fig. 16 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure when an RPx(FOD) packet storing information on the number M of times a response has been received is received. First, in S900, the control unit 300 of the power transmitting device 100 receives a Received Power Packet from the power receiving device 101 via the communication unit 304. Then, in S901, the control unit 300 determines whether the request bit stored in the packet is "1." If the result of this determination is that the request bit is "1" (YES in S901), the process proceeds to S902.

[0115] In S902, the control unit 300 determines whether or not the second foreign object detection process will be performed multiple times. If the result of this determination is that the second foreign object detection process will be performed multiple times (YES in S902), the process proceeds to S903; if not (NO in S902), the process proceeds to S908. In S903, the control unit 300 acquires the value of the Count field of the received Received Power Pack, and in S904, the control unit 300 updates the number of times M the response has been transmitted, which is managed by the control unit 300, to the acquired value of the Count field.

[0116] Next, in S905, the control unit 300 of the power transmitting device 100 determines whether M is equal to N. If the result of this determination is that M is equal to N (YES in S905), in S908 the control unit 300 determines whether to send an ACK or a NAK based on the Q value measured in the second Q value measurement and the power values of the power transmitting device 100 and the power receiving device 101. Then, in S909, the control unit 300 responds with an ACK or a NAK to the power receiving device 101 via the communication unit 304.

[0117] On the other hand, if the determination result in S905 shows that M is not equal to N (NO in S905), the control unit 300 determines in S906 whether M is smaller than N. If the determination result shows that M is smaller than N (YES in S907), the control unit 300 of the power transmitting device 100 responds via the communication unit 304 in S907 to the effect that "no determination is made." If M is larger than N (NO in S906), the control unit 300 of the power transmitting device 100 stops power transmission in S911. A situation in which M is larger than N does not normally occur, but it may occur when the power receiving device 101 breaks down, for example.

[0118] Furthermore, if the result of the determination in S901 is that the request bit is not "1" (NO in S901), the second Q-value measurement unit 401 does not perform Q-value measurement. Therefore, in S910, the control unit 300 determines whether to send an ACK or a NAK based on the power values of the power transmitting device 100 and the power receiving device 101. Then, the process proceeds to S909 described above.

[0119] Next, the flow of operations of the power transmitting device 100 and the power receiving device 101 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 8(a). First, the power receiving device 101 transmits RP1(FOD,1) with "1" stored in the Count field indicating that this is the first time to the power transmitting device 100 (F649). Then, it is assumed that the power receiving device 101 has not received a response (F643) indicating "no decision" transmitted by the power transmitting device 100. In this case, the power receiving device 101 transmits RP1(FOD,1) again (F650).

[0120] The power transmitting device 100 recognizes the discrepancy in the number of times M by referring to the Count field of the received RP1(FOD,1) and knows that it should respond "no judgment." Therefore, in this case, the power transmitting device 100 transmits a response "no judgment" (F643'). Subsequently, when the power receiving device 101 receives the response "no judgment," it transmits RP1(FOD,2) indicating that this is the second time (F651). Because the number of times M in the Count field of the received RP1(FOD,2) is 2, the power transmitting device 100 responds with an ACK (F653).

[0121] Next, a case where an ACK or NAK cannot be received will be described with reference to Fig. 8(b). As shown in Fig. 8(b), if the power receiving device cannot receive the ACK transmitted by the power transmitting device (F654), the power receiving device retransmits RP1 (FOD) to transmit an ACK or NAK (F655). However, since the power transmitting device has already transmitted an ACK, it transmits a response indicating "no judgment" (F657). In such a case, a status mismatch also occurs.

[0122] 8(c) shows the flow of operations of the power transmitting device 100 and the power receiving device 101 of this embodiment when an ACK or NAK cannot be received. As shown in FIG. 8(c), when the power receiving device 101 cannot receive the ACK transmitted by the power transmitting device 100 (F654), the power receiving device 101 retransmits the Received Power Packt in order to transmit an ACK or NAK. At this time, it retransmits RP1(FOD,2), whose reception count M in the Count field is 2 (F658). When the power transmitting device 100 receives RP1(FOD,2), it knows that the power receiving device 101 is requesting an ACK or NAK response, and therefore transmits an ACK (F659).

[0123] As described above, according to this embodiment, the power receiving device 101 stores information about its own status (the number of times M responses have been received) in the Count field and transmits the information, and the power transmitting device 100 determines its own operation based on the Count field. With this configuration, it is possible to more efficiently avoid status mismatches and perform foreign object detection processing in the correct procedure while minimizing interruptions in power transmission and reception.

[0124] (Modification of the fourth embodiment) Furthermore, although the power receiving device 101 in this embodiment stores information about the number of receptions M that it knows in the Count field and transmits the RPx(FOD), other configurations are also possible. Specifically, the power receiving device 101 stores an information element that indicates a request for an ACK or NAK response in the RPx(FOD) packet in one of the reserved areas from bit 3 to bit 7 of "Bank0". Hereinafter, in this embodiment, this information element is referred to as the RES bit. If the power receiving device 101 requests an ACK or NAK response, it stores "1" in the RES bit, and otherwise stores "0".

[0125] The basic processing flow in the power receiving apparatus 101 is the same as that in FIG. 13, but in S716, the control unit 200 stores information of "0" or "1" in the RES bit instead of storing information on the number of times of reception M.

[0126] FIG. 15D is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure for determining the value of the RES bit in the packet to be transmitted in S716 in a modified example of this embodiment. First, in S806, the control unit 200 of the power receiving apparatus 101 determines whether M will be equal to N when M is next incremented. If the result of this determination is that M will be equal to N (YES in S806), the power receiving apparatus 101 expects an ACK or NAK response, and so in S807 the control unit 200 stores "1" in the RES bit. On the other hand, if M is not equal to N, the power receiving apparatus 101 expects a response indicating "no determination," and so in S808 the control unit 200 stores "0" in the RES bit.

[0127] Next, the operation of the power transmitting device 100 in a modified example of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 17. Fig. 17 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure when an RPx(FOD) packet including a RES bit is received. Note that the same processes as those in Fig. 16 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. S900 to S902 are the same as in FIG. 16, and in S912, the control unit 300 of the power transmitting device 100 acquires the value of the RES bit. Then, in S913, the control unit 300 determines whether RES=1. If the result of this determination is RES=1 (YES in S913), the request is complied with, and the process proceeds to S908 described above. On the other hand, if RES=0 (NO in S913), the request is complied with, and the process proceeds to S907 described above. Even with the above configuration, it is possible to avoid a mismatch in status.

[0128] Also, in FIG. 8(c), even when the RES bit is used, the power receiving device 101 can obtain the same effect by retransmitting RP1 (FOD, RES=1) in which "1" is stored in the RES bit in F658.

[0129] (Fifth embodiment) In the fourth embodiment, the power receiving device 101 stores its own status in a Received Power Packet and transmits it. In this embodiment, a configuration will be described in which the power transmitting device 100 transmits its own status when responding. Note that the internal configurations of the power transmitting device and the power receiving device according to this embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment. Below, differences from the fourth embodiment will be described.

[0130] (Operation of the power transmitting device 100 of this embodiment) The operation of the power transmitting device 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 18. Fig. 18 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure performed by the power transmitting device 100 when a Received Power Packet is received in this embodiment. First, in S900, the control unit 300 of the power transmitting device 100 receives a Received Power Packet from the power receiving device 101 via the communication unit 304. Then, in S902, the control unit 300 determines whether or not to perform the second foreign object detection process multiple times. If the result of this determination is that the second foreign object detection process will be performed multiple times (YES in S902), the process proceeds to S914; if not (NO in S902), the process ends.

[0131] In S914, the control unit 300 increments the number of times M the response has been transmitted. Then, in S915, the control unit 300 transmits information about the number of times M the response has been transmitted to the power receiving device 101 via the communication unit 304. Next, in S916, the control unit 300 determines whether M is equal to N. If the result of this determination is that M is not equal to N (NO in S916), the process ends, but if M is equal to N (YES in S916), the control unit 300 initializes M to 0 in S917 and ends the process.

[0132] (Operation of the power receiving device 101 of this embodiment) The operation of the power receiving device 101 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 14. Fig. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing procedure for resolving a state mismatch by the power receiving device 101 in this embodiment. Note that the same processes as those in Figs. 11 to 13 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted. 11, and when the power receiving device 101 receives a response (YES in S702), the process proceeds to S718. In S718, the control unit 200 extracts information on the number of transmissions M from the response from the power transmitting device 100 and updates it as the number of receptions M. The processes from S705 onwards are the same as those in FIGS. 12 and 13.

[0133] Next, the flow of operations of the power transmitting device 100 and the power receiving device 101 of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 9(b). As a response to RP1(FOD), the power transmitting device 100 transmits a response indicating "do not judge" and a response indicating "do not judge (1)" indicating the current value of M (1 in this case) (F663). If the power receiving device 101 cannot receive this, it retransmits RP1(FOD) (F644). Since the power transmitting device 100 has transmitted the response indicating "do not judge (1)", it transmits ACK(2) to the power receiving device 101 as a response, which is an ACK with the value of M added (F664). When the power receiving device 101 receives ACK(2), it updates the number of receptions M, thereby recognizing that the ACK is a correct response, and transmits the next RP2(FOD) (F665).

[0134] As described above, according to this embodiment, information on the number of transmissions (number of receptions) M is stored in the response from the power transmitting device 100, so that it is possible to more efficiently avoid inconsistencies in status while minimizing interruptions in power transmission and reception, and perform foreign object detection processing in the correct procedure.

[0135] (Other embodiments) In the first to fifth embodiments, the number N of times the power transmitting device 100 performs the second Q-value measurement for one third foreign object detection process is described as 2, but it is clear that N may be a number greater than or equal to 2. Note that the above-described embodiments do not limit the scope of the disclosure. Although multiple features are described in each embodiment, not all of these multiple features are necessarily required for implementation, and multiple features may be combined in any desired manner.

[0136] The present disclosure can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0137] At least a part of the processes shown in the flowcharts of Figures 10 to 18 may be realized by hardware. When realizing by hardware, for example, a predetermined compiler may be used to automatically generate a dedicated circuit on an FPGA from a program for realizing each step. FPGA stands for Field Programmable Gate Array. Alternatively, a gate array circuit may be formed in the same way as an FPGA and realized as hardware.

[0138] The power receiving device 101 and the power transmitting device 100 may have a function to execute applications other than wireless charging. An example of the power receiving device 101 is an information processing terminal such as a smartphone, and an example of the power transmitting device 100 is an accessory device for charging the information processing terminal. For example, the information terminal device has a display unit (display) that displays information to a user and receives power from a power receiving coil (antenna). The power received from the power receiving coil is stored in a power storage unit (battery), and power is supplied from the battery to the display unit. In this case, the power receiving device 101 may have a communication unit that communicates with another device different from the power transmitting device 100. The communication unit may be compatible with communication standards such as NFC communication or the fifth generation mobile communication system (5G). In this case, the communication unit may perform communication by receiving power from the battery. The power receiving device 101 may be a tablet terminal, a storage device such as a hard disk drive or a memory device, or an information processing device such as a personal computer (PC). The power receiving device 101 may also be, for example, an imaging device (such as a camera or a video camera). The power receiving device 101 may also be an image input device such as a scanner, or an image output device such as a printer, a copier, or a projector. The power receiving device 101 may also be a robot, a medical device, or the like. The power transmitting device 100 may be a device for charging the above-mentioned devices.

[0139] The power transmitting device 100 may be a smartphone. In this case, the power receiving device 101 may be another smartphone or a wireless earphone.

[0140] Furthermore, the power receiving device 101 in the present embodiment may be a vehicle such as an automobile. For example, the automobile serving as the power receiving device 101 may receive power from a charger (power transmitting device 100) via a power transmitting antenna installed in a parking lot. Alternatively, the automobile serving as the power receiving device 101 may receive power from the charger (power transmitting device 100) via a power transmitting coil (antenna) embedded in the road. In such an automobile, the received power is supplied to a battery. The power from the battery may be supplied to a driving unit (motor, electric unit) that drives the wheels, or may be used to drive a sensor used for driving assistance or a communication unit that communicates with an external device. That is, in this case, the power receiving device 101 may include, in addition to the wheels, a battery, a motor or sensor that is driven using the received power, and a communication unit that communicates with devices other than the power transmitting device 100. Furthermore, the power receiving device 101 may have a storage unit for accommodating a person. For example, the sensor may be a sensor used to measure the distance between vehicles or the distance to other obstacles. The communication unit may be compatible with, for example, a Global Positioning System (Global Positioning Satellite, GPS). The communication unit may also be compatible with communication standards such as a fifth-generation mobile communication system (5G). The vehicle may also be a bicycle or a motorcycle. The power receiving device 101 is not limited to a vehicle, and may also be a moving object, an aircraft, or the like having a power generating unit that is driven using power stored in a battery.

[0141] Furthermore, the power receiving device 101 in this embodiment may be an electric tool, a home appliance, or the like. These devices, which are the power receiving device 101, may have a battery and a motor that is driven by received power stored in the battery. These devices may also have a notification means that notifies the user of the remaining battery charge, etc. These devices may also have a communication unit that communicates with other devices different from the power transmitting device 100. The communication unit may be compatible with communication standards such as NFC and the fifth generation mobile communication system (5G).

[0142] Furthermore, the power transmitting device 100 in this embodiment may be an in-vehicle charger that transmits power to a mobile information terminal device, such as a smartphone or tablet, that supports wireless power transmission within the vehicle. Such an in-vehicle charger may be installed anywhere within the vehicle. For example, the in-vehicle charger may be installed in the console of the vehicle, on the instrument panel (instrument panel, dashboard), between passenger seats, on the ceiling, or in the door. However, it is preferable that the charger is not installed in a location that interferes with driving. Furthermore, although the power transmitting device 100 has been described as an example of an in-vehicle charger, such a charger is not limited to being installed in a vehicle, but may also be installed in transportation such as a train, airplane, or ship. In this case, the charger may also be installed between passenger seats, on the ceiling, or in the door.

[0143] Furthermore, a vehicle such as an automobile equipped with an on-board charger may be the power transmitting device 100. In this case, the power transmitting device 100 has wheels and a battery, and supplies power to the power receiving device 101 via a power transmitting circuit unit and a power transmitting coil (antenna) using power from the battery. [Explanation of symbols]

[0144] 200 control section, 300 control section

Claims

1. A power receiving device that wirelessly receives power from a power transmitting device that performs a foreign object detection process, a transmission means for transmitting a request to the power transmitting device to generate data for performing the foreign object detection process; a receiving means for receiving from the power transmitting device a response based on the request transmitted by the transmitting means; a stop request means for requesting the power transmitting device to stop power transmission when the response received by the receiving means is not a response corresponding to the number of times received by the receiving means; A power receiving device comprising:

2. The power receiving device according to claim 1, characterized in that if the response received by the receiving means is a response based on the result of the foreign object detection process and is a response corresponding to the number of times the request has been sent by the transmitting means, the stop request means does not request the power transmitting device to stop transmitting power.

3. The power receiving device according to claim 2, characterized in that if the response received by the receiving means is not based on the result of the foreign object detection process and is not a response corresponding to the number of times received by the receiving means, the stop request means does not request the power transmitting device to stop transmitting power, and the transmitting means transmits a request to the power transmitting device to transmit a response based on the result of the foreign object detection process.

4. The power transmission device further includes a detection unit for detecting a momentary interruption of power transmission from the power transmission device, The power receiving device described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that if the response received by the receiving means is a response corresponding to the number of times a momentary interruption has been detected by the detection means, the stop request means does not request the power transmitting device to stop transmitting power.

5. 3. The power receiving device according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting means transmits a request for creating data for performing the foreign object detection process together with information on the number of times the receiving means has received a response.

6. 3. The power receiving device according to claim 1, wherein the transmitting means transmits a request to create data for performing the foreign object detection process together with information related to a response to be requested from the power transmitting device.

7. the receiving means receives a response based on the request transmitted by the transmitting means, in a state in which information relating to the number of times the power transmitting device has responded is stored; The power receiving device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the stop request means requests the power transmitting device to stop transmitting power if the response received by the receiving means is not a response corresponding to the number of times stored in the response.

8. A wireless power transmission system comprising: the power receiving device according to any one of claims 1 to 7; and the power transmitting device.

9. A control method for a power receiving device that wirelessly receives power from a power transmitting device that performs a foreign object detection process, comprising: a transmitting step of transmitting a request to the power transmitting device to generate data for performing the foreign object detection process; a receiving step of receiving from the power transmitting device a response based on the request transmitted in the transmitting step; a stop request step of requesting the power transmitting device to stop power transmission when the response received in the receiving step is not a response corresponding to the number of times received in the receiving step; A control method for a power receiving device, comprising:

10. A program for controlling a power receiving device that wirelessly receives power from a power transmitting device that performs a foreign object detection process, a transmitting step of transmitting a request to the power transmitting device to generate data for performing the foreign object detection process; a receiving step of receiving from the power transmitting device a response based on the request transmitted in the transmitting step; a stop request step of requesting the power transmitting device to stop power transmission when the response received in the receiving step is not a response corresponding to the number of times received in the receiving step; A program that causes a computer to execute the following.

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