Wireless power supply device and nucleic acid amplification device

The wireless power supply device addresses responsiveness issues in nucleic acid amplification devices by using a controller to dynamically adjust power transmission, enhancing accuracy and reliability through improved load voltage estimation and inverter control.

WO2026033937A1PCT designated stage Publication Date: 2026-02-12HITACHI HIGH TECH CORP
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Patent Information

Application Number
PCT/JP2025/017212
Authority / Receiving Office
WO · WO
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2024-08-06
Filing Date
2025-05-12
Publication Date
2026-02-12

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Conventional wireless power supply devices for nucleic acid amplification devices suffer from limited responsiveness due to delays in wireless communication, affecting the accuracy and reliability of genetic testing.

Method used

A wireless power supply device with a controller that includes an active power calculation unit, load voltage estimation unit, and inverter control unit to dynamically adjust power transmission based on load fluctuations, using a resonant circuit and inverter circuit to ensure accurate power delivery.

Benefits of technology

The solution enables responsive power supply that follows load fluctuations, improving the accuracy and reliability of nucleic acid amplification devices by reducing delays in power control.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

Provided are a wireless power supply device capable of supplying power following load fluctuation and a nucleic acid amplification device supplied with power by such a wireless power supply device. This wireless power supply device comprises: a power reception device; a power transmission device that transmits power to the power reception device in a non-contact manner; and a controller that controls the power transmission device. The power transmission device comprises: a resonance circuit in which a power transmission coil and a resonance capacitor are connected in series; and an inverter circuit that converts DC power to AC power and supplies the AC power to the resonance circuit. The controller comprises: an active power calculation unit that detects the active power of the power transmission device; a load voltage estimation unit that estimates the load voltage in the power reception device on the basis of the active power and the voltage or current of the resonance circuit; and an inverter control unit that controls the inverter circuit on the basis of the estimated load voltage.
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Description

Wireless power supply device and nucleic acid amplifier

[0001] The present invention relates to a wireless power supply device and a nucleic acid amplification device powered by the wireless power supply device.

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art Genetic testing uses a nucleic acid amplifier that amplifies a small amount of nucleic acid. Known examples of conventional nucleic acid amplifiers include those described in Patent Documents 1 and 2.

[0003] The nucleic acid amplification device described in Patent Document 1 includes a disk-shaped holder base on which are mounted multiple temperature control blocks configured to hold reaction vessels. The temperature control blocks include a Peltier element as a temperature control device and a temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the reaction solution. The holder base is rotated by a stepping motor.

[0004] Electrical devices (such as a temperature control block and a temperature sensor) mounted on a rotating body on which a reaction vessel is held are generally supplied with power by a movable contact such as a slip ring (see, for example, Patent Document 2). In contrast, a wireless power supply device can supply power to electrical devices mounted on a rotating body in a non-contact manner without using a movable contact.

[0005] A contactless power supply device described in Patent Document 3 is known as a conventional wireless power supply device.

[0006] In the contactless power transfer device described in Patent Document 3, the power receiving device has an estimation circuit that estimates the load resistance of the entire contactless power transfer device and a power receiving-side communicator that wirelessly transmits the estimated value of the load resistance of the entire contactless power transfer device to the power transmitting device. The power transmitting device has a power supply circuit that supplies AC power to a transmitting coil that supplies power to the power receiving device. The power transmitting device controls the power supply circuit in accordance with the estimated value of the load resistance received via the power transmitting-side communicator.

[0007] JP 2013-126421 A International Publication No. 2016 / 047744 JP 2024-60491 A

[0008] In the conventional wireless power supply device, the response of the power supply circuit is limited due to delays in wireless communication. When such a wireless power supply device is applied to a nucleic acid amplification device, it becomes difficult to ensure the accuracy and reliability of genetic testing.

[0009] Therefore, the present invention provides a wireless power supply device capable of supplying power in accordance with load fluctuations, and a nucleic acid amplifier powered by such a wireless power supply device.

[0010] In order to solve the above problems, a wireless power supply apparatus according to the present invention includes a power receiving apparatus, a power transmitting apparatus that wirelessly transmits power to the power receiving apparatus, and a controller that controls the power transmitting apparatus. The power transmitting apparatus includes a resonant circuit in which a power transmitting coil and a resonant capacitor are connected in series, and an inverter circuit that converts DC power to AC power and supplies the AC power to the resonant circuit. The controller includes an active power calculation unit that detects the active power of the power transmitting apparatus, a load voltage estimation unit that estimates a load voltage at the power receiving apparatus based on the active power and the voltage or current of the resonant circuit, and an inverter control unit that controls the inverter circuit based on the estimated load voltage.

[0011] In order to solve the above problems, the nucleic acid amplification device according to the present invention includes a temperature control device provided on a rotating body, which holds a reaction vessel containing a reaction solution and adjusts the temperature of the reaction solution, and the temperature control device is powered by the wireless power supply device according to the present invention.

[0012] According to the present invention, wireless power supply that follows load fluctuations becomes possible.

[0013] Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will become apparent from the following description of the embodiments.

[0014] 1. It is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of a wireless power supply device of Example 1. It is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of an active power calculation unit 41 (FIG. 1). It is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of a coefficient correction unit 42a (FIG. 1). It is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of an inverter control unit 43 (FIG. 1). It is a graph showing the relationship between a resonant capacitor voltage (Vcrpeak) and a load voltage (Vout). It is a flowchart showing the operation of a controller 40 (FIG. 1) in Example 1. It is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of a wireless power supply device of Example 2. It is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of an active power calculation unit 41 (FIG. 7). It is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of a wireless power supply device of Example 3. It is a flowchart showing the operation of controllers 40 and 50 (FIG. 9) in Example 3. It is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of a wireless power supply device of Example 4. It is a waveform diagram showing the operation at startup in the wireless power supply device of Example 4. It is a flowchart showing the error detection operation of the controller 40 (FIG. 11) in Example 4. It is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of a wireless power supply device provided in a nucleic acid amplification device of Example 5. FIG. 10 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a nucleic acid amplification device according to a fifth embodiment.

[0015] Hereinafter, a wireless power supply device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings in Examples 1 to 5. In each drawing, the same reference numerals indicate the same components or components with similar functions.

[0016] FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of a wireless power supply device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] The wireless power supply device of the first embodiment includes a power transmitting device 20 that receives single-phase AC power from a single-phase AC power supply 10, a power receiving device 30 that receives power from the power transmitting device 20 in a contactless manner, i.e., wirelessly, and a controller 40 that controls the power transmitting device 20. Note that, for example, a commercial AC power supply is used as the single-phase AC power supply 10.

[0018] The power transmission device 20 is connected to the single-phase AC power supply 10 and includes a power factor correction circuit 23 that converts AC voltage into DC voltage, an inverter circuit 25 that is connected to the power factor correction circuit 23 via a smoothing capacitor 24 and converts DC voltage into high-frequency AC voltage, a power transmission coil 28 (L1), and a resonant capacitor 26 (Cr) that is connected in series with the power transmission coil 28.

[0019] At the input section of the power factor correction circuit 23, a series circuit of diodes 231 and 232 and a series circuit of diodes 233 and 234 are connected in parallel to a diode rectifier circuit, and the single-phase AC power supply 10 is connected to the intermediate connection point of each series circuit. The output of the diode rectifier circuit is connected via a smoothing capacitor 235 to a boost circuit composed of an inductor 236, a switching element 237 in which a diode is connected in anti-parallel to a power transistor (a power MOSFET in this embodiment), and a diode 238.

[0020] Inverter circuit 25 is composed of a series circuit of switching element 251 and switching element 252, and is connected to power factor correction circuit 23 via smoothing capacitor 24. An intermediate connection point between switching element 251 and switching element 252 is connected to resonant capacitor 26. Inverter circuit 25 supplies high-frequency AC power of several kHz to approximately 100 kHz to resonant capacitor 26.

[0021] The power receiving device 30 includes a power receiving coil 31 (L2) that receives power supplied wirelessly from the power transmitting device 20, a diode rectifier circuit 32 that converts the AC voltage output from the power receiving coil 31 into a DC voltage, and a load 34 that is connected to the diode rectifier circuit 32 via a smoothing capacitor 33.

[0022] In the diode rectifier circuit 32, a series circuit of diodes 321 and 322 and a series circuit of diodes 323 and 324 are connected in parallel, and the receiving coil 31 is connected to the intermediate connection point of each series circuit. The output of the diode rectifier circuit 32 is connected to a load 34. The load 34 is a load that undergoes power fluctuations, such as a temperature adjustment device provided in a nucleic acid amplification device described below.

[0023] The controller 40 controls the entire wireless power supply device of this embodiment, and includes an active power calculation unit 41 , a coefficient correction unit 42 a , a load voltage estimation unit 42 b , and an inverter control unit 43 .

[0024] In this embodiment, the controller 40 includes a computer system such as a microcomputer, and the computer system executes a predetermined program to operate as each unit (41, 42a, 42b, 43).

[0025] The active power calculation unit 41 calculates active power (P) based on the input current (Iac) of the power factor correction circuit 23 detected by the current detector 21 and the input voltage (Vac) of the power factor correction circuit 23 detected by the voltage detector 22. In this embodiment, the input current (Iac) and the input voltage (Vac) have AC values ​​of 50 Hz or 60 Hz.

[0026] The coefficient corrector 42 a calculates coefficients (a, b) to be used in the load voltage estimator 42 b based on the active power (P) calculated by the active power calculator 41 .

[0027] The load voltage estimation unit 42b calculates an estimated value (Voest) of the load voltage based on the coefficients (a, b) calculated by the coefficient correction unit 42a and the resonant capacitor voltage (Vcrpeak) detected by the voltage detector 27. Here, the resonant capacitor voltage (Vcrpeak) is the voltage peak value of the resonant capacitor 26.

[0028] The inverter control unit 43 calculates the operating frequencies of the switching elements 251 and 252 of the inverter circuit 25 based on the estimated value (Voest) of the load voltage.

[0029] FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the active power calculation unit 41 (FIG. 1).

[0030] The active power calculation unit 41 includes a multiplier 411 and a band rejection filter 412 .

[0031] As shown in equation (1), the multiplier 411 calculates the active power (P) and the AC component (Pac) by multiplying the input current (Iac) of the power factor correction circuit 23 detected by the current detector 21 by the input voltage (Vac) of the power factor correction circuit 23 detected by the voltage detector 22.

[0032]

[0033] The band rejection filter 412 has the characteristic of suppressing a specific AC component, as shown by the transfer function of equation (2). In equation (2), ω0 is the angular frequency to be suppressed, and ωb is the rejection angular frequency band.

[0034]

[0035] The band rejection filter 412 extracts the active power (P) by suppressing only the AC component (Pac) of the active power (P) and the AC component (Pac) calculated by the multiplier 411 .

[0036] FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the coefficient correction unit 42a (FIG. 1).

[0037] The coefficient correction unit 42a includes a data table 42a1 and a coefficient calculation unit 42a2.

[0038] The data table 42a1 associates specific active powers (P1 to Pn) with coefficients (a1 to an, b1 to bn) used by the load voltage estimation unit 42b. The data table 42a1 is acquired in advance and stored in a storage device (not shown) provided in the controller 40.

[0039] The coefficient calculation unit 42a2 calculates a coefficient corresponding to the active power (P) by referring to the data table 42a1 based on the active power (P) calculated by the active power calculation unit 41. The coefficient calculated by the coefficient calculation unit 42a2 is used in the load voltage estimation unit 42b to estimate the load voltage, as will be described later.

[0040] FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the inverter control unit 43 (FIG. 1).

[0041] The inverter control unit 43 includes a subtractor 431 and a PI controller 432 .

[0042] The subtractor 431 calculates the difference (ΔVo) between the load voltage command value (Voref) and the load voltage estimate value (Voest) calculated by the load voltage estimation unit 42b.

[0043] The PI controller 432 receives the calculated difference (ΔVo) as an input, and calculates the operating frequencies of the switching elements 251 and 252 of the inverter circuit 25 by proportional-plus-integral calculation.

[0044] Here, the load voltage estimation means in the load voltage estimation unit 42b will be described.

[0045] 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the resonant capacitor voltage (Vcrpeak) and the load voltage (Vout) when the active power is a constant value. Each graph shows a different active power (P), with the active power increasing toward the right side of the graph. Note that FIG. 5 is an example of the results of research conducted by the present inventors.

[0046] As shown in Figure 5, when the active power (P) is a constant value, the resonant capacitor voltage (V) and the load voltage (V) have a linear correlation. Therefore, the load voltage (V) can be expressed by a linear equation using the resonant capacitor voltage (V) and coefficients (a, b) as shown in Equation (3). The coefficients a and b represent the slope and intercept, respectively.

[0047]

[0048] The load voltage estimator 42b calculates an estimated value (Voest) of the load voltage using equation (3).

[0049] The aforementioned data table 42a1 (FIG. 3) is created in advance by measuring the relationship between the resonant capacitor voltage (Vcrpeak) and the load voltage (Vout) as shown in FIG. 5 for a plurality of active powers (P1 to Pn).

[0050] As described above, the coefficient calculation unit 42a2 calculates a coefficient according to the active power (P) calculated by the active power calculation unit 41 by referring to the data table 42a1.

[0051] For example, the coefficient calculation unit 42a2 can calculate a coefficient corresponding to the active power (P) by extracting from the data table 42a1 the coefficient for the active power value closest to the active power (P) among P1 to Pn. However, in this case, as shown in Fig. 5, the coefficients (a, b) change depending on the active power value, and therefore an error occurs in the values ​​of a and b. Therefore, an error occurs in the load voltage estimated by the load voltage estimation unit 42b.

[0052] Therefore, in this embodiment, the coefficient calculation unit 42a2 calculates coefficients (a, b) for active power (P) by interpolation based on a data table 42a1 for specific values ​​(P1 to Pn) of active power and the detected value of active power (P) calculated by the active power calculation unit 41. Known interpolation methods such as linear interpolation and Lagrange interpolation, which interpolates between multiple data using a polynomial expression, can be used as the interpolation method. In this embodiment, the coefficient calculation unit 42a2 uses Lagrange interpolation, which is preferable for reducing errors in the estimated value of the load voltage.

[0053] FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the controller 40 (FIG. 1) in the first embodiment.

[0054] When the controller 40 starts the process, first, in step S1, it detects the input current (Iac), the input voltage (Vac), and the resonant capacitor voltage (Vcrpeak).

[0055] Next, in step S2, the controller 40 uses the active power calculation unit 41 to calculate active power (P) based on the input current (Iac) and input voltage (Vac) detected in step S1.

[0056] Next, in step S3, the controller 40 uses the coefficient correction unit 42a to calculate coefficients (a, b) corresponding to the active power (P) calculated in step S2, based on the active power (P) calculated in step S2 and the data table 42a1.

[0057] Next, in step S4, the controller 40 uses the load voltage estimation unit 42b to calculate an estimated value (Voest) of the load voltage based on the resonant capacitor voltage (Vcrpeak) detected in step S1 and the coefficients (a, b) calculated in step S3.

[0058] Next, in step S5, the controller 40 uses the inverter control unit 43 to calculate the operating frequencies of the switching elements 251 and 252 of the inverter circuit 25 based on the estimated value (Voest) of the load voltage calculated in step S4.

[0059] After executing step S5, the controller 40 ends the series of processes for one control cycle.

[0060] As described above, according to the first embodiment, the load voltage (Vout) in the power receiving device 30 is estimated based on the active power (P) and the resonant capacitor voltage (Vcrpeak) in the power transmitting device 20, and the inverter circuit 25 is controlled based on the estimated load voltage. This makes it possible to detect the load voltage with low delay. This improves the responsiveness of the control of the power transmitting device 20 to load fluctuations on the power receiving device side. Therefore, wireless power supply that follows load fluctuations becomes possible.

[0061] Note that the load voltage estimation unit 42b may use the current of the resonant capacitor 26 (Cr) or the voltage of the power transmitting coil 28 instead of the resonant capacitor voltage (Vcrpeak). That is, the load voltage estimation unit 42b uses the current or voltage in the resonant circuit formed by the resonant capacitor Cr and the power transmitting coil 28, including the resonant capacitor voltage (Vcrpeak).

[0062] The current or voltage in the resonant circuit has a linear correlation with the load voltage (Vout), which makes it easy to calculate an estimate of the load voltage.

[0063] FIG. 7 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of a wireless power supply device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0064] The following mainly describes the differences from the first embodiment.

[0065] In the second embodiment, unlike the first embodiment (FIG. 1), a current detector 21 and a voltage detector 22 are connected to the input (DC side) of an inverter circuit 25 .

[0066] In this embodiment, the active power (P) used in the coefficient corrector 42 a is detected based on the input voltage and input current of the inverter circuit 25 .

[0067] The current detector 21 is connected between the smoothing capacitor 24 and the reactive power compensation capacitor 29. This prevents the reactive power component propagated from the inverter circuit 25 from being superimposed on the detection value of the current detector 21.

[0068] FIG. 8 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the active power calculation unit 41 (FIG. 7).

[0069] 8, the active power calculation unit 41 includes a multiplier 411, a band-elimination filter 412a, and a band-elimination filter 412b. The band-elimination filter 412a and the band-elimination filter 412b suppress AC components propagated from the power factor correction circuit 23 and included in the inverter input current (Idc) and the inverter input voltage (Vdc), respectively.

[0070] The multiplier 411 calculates the active power (P) by multiplying the inverter input current (Idc), whose AC component has been suppressed by the band-elimination filter 412a, by the inverter input voltage (Vdc), whose AC component has been suppressed by the band-elimination filter 412b.

[0071] As described above, according to the second embodiment, the active power (P) can be detected from the voltage and DC current of the DC link unit in the power transmission device 20 .

[0072] FIG. 9 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of a wireless power supply device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

[0073] The following mainly describes the differences from the second embodiment.

[0074] 9, the single-phase AC power supply 10 and the power factor correction circuit 23 in the second embodiment (FIG. 7) are replaced with a DC power supply 23a. The DC power supply 23a includes a power supply including the single-phase AC power supply 10 and the power factor correction circuit 23.

[0075] As shown in Fig. 9 , unlike the second embodiment (Fig. 7), the controller 40 of the power transmitting device 20 includes a time synchronization unit 44, a communication unit 45, an estimated voltage extraction unit 46, and an estimation correction unit 47. Furthermore, unlike the second embodiment (Fig. 7), the power receiving device 30 includes a voltage detector 35 that detects the load voltage (Vout), and a controller 50. The controller 50 includes a communication unit 51 and a time synchronization unit 52. The time synchronization units 44 and 52 perform time synchronization when the wireless power supply device is started up.

[0076] The coefficients (a, b) in the above-mentioned equation (3) change depending on the circuit constants. Therefore, if the circuit constants change due to aging or other reasons, the coefficients (a1 to an, b1 to bn) in the above-mentioned data table 42a1 (FIG. 3) stored in the coefficient correction unit 42a no longer match the changed circuit constants. This causes an error in the estimated value of the load voltage.

[0077] Therefore, in this embodiment, the estimation error of the load voltage caused by the change in the circuit constant is suppressed by the means described below.

[0078] The load voltage (Vout) detected by the voltage detector 35 and time information (Tdet) at the time of voltage detection are transmitted from the controller 50 to the controller 40 by wireless communication between the communication unit 51 and the communication unit 45. The load voltage (Vout) and the time information (Tdet) at the time of voltage detection transmitted to the controller 40 are input to the estimated voltage extraction unit 46.

[0079] The estimated voltage extraction unit 46 extracts the load voltage (Vout) and the estimated voltage (Voest) at the same time based on the time information (Tdet) at the time of voltage detection. The estimation correction unit 47 receives the estimated value (Voest) of the load voltage output from the estimated voltage extraction unit 46 and the load voltage (Vout), and calculates a correction coefficient (α) by dividing the load voltage (Vout) by the estimated value (Voest) of the load voltage as shown in equation (4).

[0080]

[0081] The load voltage estimation unit 42b calculates an estimated value (Voest) of the load voltage using equation (5) from the coefficients (a, b) calculated by the coefficient correction unit 42a, the resonant capacitor voltage (Vcrpeak) detected by the voltage detector 27, and the correction coefficient (α) calculated by the estimation correction unit 47.

[0082]

[0083] The estimated voltage extraction unit 46 stores the estimated value (Voest) of the load voltage calculated by the load voltage estimation unit 42b and time information (Test) at the time of voltage estimation.

[0084] FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the operations of the controller 40 and the controller 50 (FIG. 9) in the third embodiment.

[0085] The controllers 40 and 50 perform the load voltage estimation calculation in steps S11 to S15 in a first control period (e.g., about several tens of μs). The controllers 40 and 50 also perform the estimation correction calculation in steps S21 to S24 in a second control period (e.g., about several ms) that is longer than the first control period. Here, the controllers 40 and 50 perform time synchronization using the time synchronization units 44 and 52, respectively, before starting processing when the wireless power supply device is started.

[0086] Like the controller 40, the controller 50 includes a computer system such as a microcomputer, and the computer system executes a predetermined program to perform control operations.

[0087] Steps S11 to S13 executed by the controller 40 are similar to steps S1 to S3 in FIG. 5 described above.

[0088] The controller 40 executes steps S11 to S13 in order, and then executes step S14.

[0089] In step S14, the controller 40 uses the load voltage estimation unit 42b to calculate an estimated value (Voest) of the load voltage using equation (5) based on the resonant capacitor voltage (Vcrpeak) detected in step S11, the coefficients (a, b) calculated in step S13, and the correction coefficient (α) calculated in step S24, which will be described later.

[0090] Next, in step S15, the controller 40 uses the estimated voltage extraction unit 46 to store the estimated value (Voest) of the load voltage calculated in step S14 and the time information (Test) at the time of estimation.

[0091] Next, in step S16, the controller 40 uses the inverter control unit 43 to calculate the operating frequencies of the switching elements 251 and 252 of the inverter circuit 25 based on the estimated value (Voest) of the load voltage calculated in step S14.

[0092] In step S21, the controller 50 detects the load voltage (Vout) and acquires time information (Tdet) at the time of voltage detection. Next, in step S22, the controller 50 uses the communication unit 51 to transmit the load voltage (Vout) detected in step S21 and the time information (Tdet) at the time of voltage detection to the controller 40 by wireless communication.

[0093] Next, in step S23, the controller 40 uses the estimated voltage extraction unit 46 to extract an estimated value (Voest) of the load voltage corresponding to the time information (Test) in the controller 40 at the time of load voltage estimation that coincides with the time information (Tdet) at the time of voltage detection, based on the time information (Tdet) at the time of voltage detection transmitted from the controller 50 in step S22.

[0094] Next, in step S24, the controller 40 uses the estimation corrector 47 to calculate a correction coefficient (α) according to equation (4) based on the load voltage (Vout) transmitted from the controller 50 in step S22 and the estimated value (Voest) of the load voltage extracted in step S23.

[0095] As described above, according to the third embodiment, the load voltage (Vout) is detected in real time on the power receiving device 30 side, and the estimated value of the load voltage (Voest) is corrected on the power transmitting device 20 side based on a comparison between the detected value of the load voltage and the estimated value of the load voltage. This makes it possible to suppress errors in the estimated value of the load voltage caused by changes in the circuit constants due to aging or the like.

[0096] FIG. 11 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of a wireless power supply device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[0097] The following mainly describes the differences from the second embodiment.

[0098] 11, the single-phase AC power supply 10 and the power factor correction circuit 23 in the second embodiment (FIG. 7) are replaced with a DC power supply 23a. The DC power supply 23a includes a power supply including the single-phase AC power supply 10 and the power factor correction circuit 23.

[0099] 11, unlike the second embodiment (FIG. 7), the controller 40 of the power transmitting device 20 includes comparison data 48 and an error detection unit 49. In addition, an error indicator 120 is provided on the power transmitting device 20 side.

[0100] In the wireless power supply device, the distance between the opposing power transmission coil 28 and power receiving coil 31 is set within a predetermined range so that power is effectively transmitted between the power transmission coil 28 and power receiving coil 31. If the distance between the power transmission coil 28 and power receiving coil 31 varies due to the assembly accuracy of the device including the wireless power supply device or aging of the device, the power transmission efficiency will vary.

[0101] Therefore, in this embodiment, when the wireless power supply device is started up, the deviation of the distance between the power transmitting coil 28 and the power receiving coil 31 from a predetermined range is detected as an error by the means described below.

[0102] The comparison data 48 is an active power comparison value (Pref), a resonant capacitor voltage comparison value (Vcrref), and a threshold value (Dref) used by the error detection unit 49 , and is stored in a storage device provided in the controller 40 .

[0103] The error detection unit 49 inputs the active power (P) calculated by the active power calculation unit 41, the resonant capacitor voltage (Vcrpeak) detected by the voltage detector 27, and the active power comparison value (Pref) and the resonant capacitor voltage comparison value (Vcrref) from the comparison data 48, and determines whether the distance between the transmitting coil 28 and the receiving coil 31 is within a predetermined range based on the absolute value (D1) of the difference between the resonant capacitor voltage peak value (Vcrpeak) and the resonant capacitor voltage comparison value (Vcrref), and outputs an identification signal according to the determination result.

[0104] The error indicator 120 displays an error based on the identification signal from the error detector 49 .

[0105] The error detection operation by the error detection unit 49 in the controller 40 will be described below with reference to FIGS.

[0106] FIG. 12 is a waveform diagram showing the operation at the time of startup in the wireless power supply device of this embodiment.

[0107] 12, from the top to the bottom, are waveform diagrams of the operating frequency, the active power (P), and the resonant capacitor voltage (Vcrpeak). Note that S31 to S34 shown in Fig. 12 indicate the timing at which steps S31 to S34 in Fig. 13, which will be described later, are executed.

[0108] 13 is a flowchart showing the error detection operation of the controller 40 (FIG. 11) in this embodiment. The following description will be given with reference to FIG. 12 as needed.

[0109] When the controller 40 starts the error detection process, first, in step S31, the controller 40 uses the inverter control unit 43 to drive the switching elements 251 and 252 of the inverter circuit 25 at the fixed frequency Fsw ( FIG. 12 ) to start up the wireless power supply device.

[0110] Next, in step S32, the controller 40 uses the error detection unit 49 to detect the resonant capacitor voltage (Vcr1) when the active power (P) detected by the active power calculation unit 41 reaches the active power comparison value (Pref).

[0111] Next, in step S33, the controller 40 uses the error detection unit 49 to calculate the absolute value (D1) of the difference between the resonant capacitor voltage (Vcr1) detected in step S32 and the resonant capacitor voltage comparison value (Vcrref) using equation (6).

[0112]

[0113] Next, in step S34, the controller 40 uses the error detection unit 49 to determine whether the absolute value of the difference (D1) calculated in step S33 is larger than the threshold value (Dref). In this embodiment, the controller 40 determines whether D1 is smaller than Dref. If the controller 40 determines that D1 is smaller than Dref (YES in step S34), the controller 40 then executes step S35. If the controller 40 determines that D1 is not smaller than Dref (NO in step S34), that is, if the controller 40 determines that D1 is equal to or greater than Dref, the controller 40 then executes step S36.

[0114] In step S35, the controller 40 determines that the distance between the power transmitting coil 28 and the power receiving coil 31 is within a predetermined range, and starts controlling the power transmitting device 20 based on the estimated value of the load voltage, similar to the first embodiment.

[0115] After executing step S35, the controller 40 ends the series of error detection processes.

[0116] In step S36, the controller 40 determines that the distance between the transmitting coil 28 and the receiving coil 31 is outside the predetermined range, and causes the error detection unit 49 to send an identification signal indicating that the distance between the transmitting coil 28 and the receiving coil 31 is outside the predetermined range to the error indicator 120. Upon receiving the identification signal, the error indicator 120 displays an error. The controller 40 also stops operation of the wireless power supply device.

[0117] As described above, according to the fourth embodiment, it is possible to detect whether the distance between the power transmitting coil 28 and the power receiving coil 31 in the wireless power supply device is outside a predetermined range. This makes it possible to adjust the distance between the power transmitting coil 28 and the power receiving coil 31 and quickly restore the wireless power supply device to a state where appropriate power transmission efficiency is obtained.

[0118] Next, a nucleic acid amplification device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in accordance with Example 5 with reference to the drawings.

[0119] FIG. 14 is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of a wireless power supply device provided in a nucleic acid amplification device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

[0120] The wireless power supply device in this embodiment includes a power transmission circuit 60 that receives single-phase AC power from a single-phase AC power supply 10, a power transmission coil 70 that transmits the power output from the power transmission circuit 60, and a power receiving device 80 that receives power in a contactless manner, i.e., wirelessly, from the power transmission coil 70. Note that a commercial AC power supply, for example, is used as the single-phase AC power supply 10.

[0121] The power transmission circuit 60 includes a power factor correction circuit 63 that converts AC voltage into DC voltage, an inverter circuit 65 that is connected to the power factor correction circuit 63 via a smoothing capacitor 64 and converts DC voltage into AC voltage, a resonant capacitor 66 that is connected in series to the power transmission coil 70, and a controller 68 for the inverter circuit 65.

[0122] The inverter circuit 65 supplies high-frequency AC power of about several kHz to 100 kHz to the power transmission coil 70 .

[0123] The controller 68 receives as input the input current of the power transmission circuit 60 detected by the current detector 61, the input voltage of the power transmission circuit 60 detected by the voltage detector 62, and the resonant capacitor voltage detected by the voltage detector 67, and controls the operating frequency of the switching elements of the inverter circuit 65, as in Example 1 (Figure 6).

[0124] The power transmitting coil 70 wirelessly supplies the AC power output from the power transmitting circuit 60 to the power receiving device 80 .

[0125] The power receiving device 80 includes a power receiving coil 81 that receives AC power wirelessly supplied from the power transmitting coil 70, a diode rectifier circuit 82 that converts the AC voltage output from the power receiving coil 81 into a DC voltage, and a temperature adjusting device 84 that is connected to the diode rectifier circuit 82 via a smoothing capacitor 83. The temperature adjusting device 84 adjusts the temperature of the reaction liquid obtained by mixing the sample and the reagent.

[0126] In the fifth embodiment, the wireless power supply device according to the first embodiment is applied.

[0127] FIG. 15 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of a nucleic acid amplification device according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

[0128] A power transmission circuit 60, a rotary drive device 110 equipped with a stepping motor, and a fluorescence detector 90 are mounted and fixed on a base 100. A power transmission coil 70 is also fixed on the base 100 via a support member 71. The power transmission coil 70 is disposed around the rotary drive device 110.

[0129] The power receiving device 80 is configured by a power receiving coil 81 , a diode rectifier circuit 82 , and a plurality of temperature adjustment devices 84 that are provided on a disk-shaped power receiving device base 112 .

[0130] The power receiving coil 81 is provided on the flat surface of the power receiving device base 112. The diode rectifier circuit 82 is provided on the power receiving coil 81. A plurality of temperature adjustment devices 84 are provided on the periphery of the power receiving device base 112. The temperature adjustment devices 84 hold reaction vessels containing reaction liquid.

[0131] As shown in FIG. 15, the power transmitting coil 70 and the power receiving coil 81 face each other and are arranged a predetermined distance apart so that power can be effectively transferred from the power transmitting coil 70 to the power receiving coil 81 .

[0132] The power receiving device base 112 has a rotation shaft 111 connected to the rotary drive device 110. When a stepping motor included in the rotary drive device 110 is rotated, the power receiving device 80 is rotationally driven via the rotation shaft 111.

[0133] The power transmission circuit 60 is connected to the single-phase AC power supply 10 via a cable 69 .

[0134] The power transmitting coil 70 is connected to the power transmitting circuit 60 via a cable 72 .

[0135] The fluorescence detector 90 detects fluorescence when the temperature adjustment device 84 passes above the fluorescence detector 90 due to the rotation of the power receiving device base 112 .

[0136] The nucleic acid amplification device shown in FIG. 15 is covered with a cover (not shown).

[0137] According to the above-described fifth embodiment, power can be supplied wirelessly to the temperature adjustment device 84 provided on the rotor in the nucleic acid amplification device without using a moving contact part such as a slip ring. The moving contact part that wears as the rotor rotates is reduced, thereby improving the life of the nucleic acid amplification device. Furthermore, since the load voltage of the temperature adjustment device 84 is estimated on the power transmission circuit 60 side, the responsiveness of the control of the power transmission device to load fluctuations on the temperature adjustment device 84 is improved. Therefore, the accuracy of the temperature adjustment of the reaction solution by the temperature adjustment device 84 is improved.

[0138] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and includes various modifications. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail to clearly explain the present invention, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to those including all of the described configurations. Furthermore, it is possible to add, delete, or replace part of the configuration of the embodiments with other configurations.

[0139] For example, instead of the power MOSFETs in the switching elements 251 and 252 that make up the inverter circuit 25, IGBTs or the like may be used.

[0140] In addition, in the fifth embodiment, the second to fourth embodiments may be applied as the wireless power supply device.

[0141] 10... Single-phase AC power supply, 20... Power transmission device, 21... Current detector, 22... Voltage detector, 23... Power factor correction circuit, 23a... DC power supply, 24... Smoothing capacitor, 25... Inverter circuit, 26... Resonant capacitor, 27... Voltage detector, 28... Power transmission coil, 30... Power receiving device, 31... Power receiving coil, 32... Diode rectifier circuit, 33... Smoothing capacitor, 34... Load, 35... Voltage detector, 40... Controller, 41... Active power calculation unit, 42a...coefficient correction unit, 42a1...data table, 42a2...coefficient calculation unit, 42b...load voltage estimation unit, 43...inverter control unit, 44...time synchronization unit, 45...communication unit, 46...estimated voltage extraction unit, 47...estimate correction unit, 48...comparison data, 49...error detection unit, 50...controller, 51...communication unit, 52...time synchronization unit, 60...power transmission circuit, 61...current detector, 62...voltage detector, 63...power factor Improvement circuit, 64... smoothing capacitor, 65... inverter circuit, 66... ​​resonance capacitor, 67... voltage detector, 68... controller, 69... cable, 70... power transmission coil, 71... support part, 72... cable, 80... power receiving device, 81... power receiving coil, 82... diode rectifier circuit, 83... smoothing capacitor, 84... temperature adjustment device, 90... fluorescence detector, 100... base, 110... rotation drive device, 111... rotation shaft, 11 2... Power receiving device base, 120... Error indicator, 231, 232, 233, 234... Diodes, 235... Smoothing capacitor, 236... Inductor, 237... Switching element, 238... Diode, 251, 252... Switching elements, 321, 322, 323, 324... Diodes, 411... Multiplier, 412... Band-elimination filter, 412a, 412b... Band-elimination filters, 431... Subtractor, 432... PI controller

Claims

1. A wireless power supply system comprising: a power receiving device; a power transmitting device that transmits power to the power receiving device in a contactless manner; and a controller that controls the power transmitting device, wherein the power transmitting device comprises: a resonant circuit in which a power transmitting coil and a resonant capacitor are connected in series; and an inverter circuit that converts a DC voltage to an AC voltage and supplies the AC voltage to the resonant circuit; and the controller comprises: an active power calculation unit that detects the active power of the power transmitting device; a load voltage estimation unit that estimates a load voltage in the power receiving device based on the active power and the voltage or current of the resonant circuit; and an inverter control unit that controls the inverter circuit based on the estimated load voltage.

2. A wireless power supply device according to claim 1, characterized in that the load voltage estimation unit estimates the load voltage based on a predetermined relationship between the load voltage and the voltage or current of the resonant circuit, which changes depending on the active power.

3. A wireless power supply device according to claim 2, further comprising a coefficient correction unit that corrects a coefficient in the predetermined relationship in accordance with the effective power.

4. A wireless power supply device according to claim 3, wherein the coefficient correction unit corrects the coefficient based on a data table that associates the effective power with the coefficient.

5. A wireless power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the active power calculation unit detects the active power based on an input current and an input voltage of a power factor correction circuit connected to the inverter circuit.

6. A wireless power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the active power calculation unit detects the active power based on an input current and an input voltage of the inverter circuit.

7. A wireless power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the load voltage estimation unit estimates the load voltage based on the voltage or the current of the resonant capacitor in the resonant circuit.

8. A wireless power supply device according to claim 1, wherein the load voltage estimation unit estimates the load voltage based on the voltage of the power transmission coil in the resonant circuit.

9. A wireless power supply device according to claim 1, comprising a controller of the power receiving device that detects the load voltage in the power receiving device, wherein the controller of the power receiving device comprises: a communication unit on the power receiving device side that wirelessly transmits the detected load voltage to the controller of the power transmitting device; and a time synchronization unit on the power receiving device side that performs time synchronization with the controller of the power transmitting device, wherein the controller of the power transmitting device comprises: a communication unit on the power transmitting device side that performs wireless communication with the controller of the power receiving device; a time synchronization unit on the power transmitting device side that performs time synchronization with the controller of the power receiving device; an estimated voltage extraction unit that extracts an estimated value of the load voltage at the same time as the time when the load voltage obtained from the communication unit on the power receiving device side is detected; and an estimation correction unit that corrects the load voltage estimation unit based on the load voltage obtained from the communication unit on the power receiving device side.

10. A wireless power supply device according to claim 9, wherein the controller of the power receiving device acquires time information when detecting the load voltage.

11. A wireless power supply device according to claim 9, characterized in that the estimated voltage extraction unit extracts an estimated value of the load voltage that matches the time information at the time of voltage detection and the time information when the load voltage is detected, based on time information transmitted from the controller of the power receiving device.

12. A wireless power supply device according to claim 9, wherein the estimation correction unit corrects the load voltage estimation unit by comparing the load voltage acquired from the communication unit on the power receiving device side with the estimated value of the load voltage.

13. A wireless power supply device according to claim 1, further comprising an error indicator on the side of the power transmitting device, wherein the controller of the power transmitting device comprises an error detection unit that outputs an identification signal based on the voltage of the resonant capacitor when the distance between the power transmitting coil and the power receiving coil provided in the power receiving device is outside a predetermined range, and wherein the error indicator displays an error when it receives the identification signal.

14. A nucleic acid amplification device for amplifying nucleic acids, comprising: a rotating body; a temperature adjustment device provided on the rotating body for holding a reaction vessel containing a reaction solution and adjusting the temperature of the reaction solution; and a wireless power supply device for supplying power to the temperature adjustment device, wherein the wireless power supply device comprises: a power receiving device; a power transmitting device for transmitting power to the power receiving device in a contactless manner; and a controller for controlling the power transmitting device, wherein the power transmitting device comprises: a resonant circuit in which a power transmitting coil and a resonant capacitor are connected in series; and an inverter circuit for converting a DC voltage to an AC voltage and supplying the AC voltage to the resonant circuit, and the controller comprises: an active power calculation unit for detecting the active power of the power transmitting device; a load voltage estimation unit for estimating a load voltage in the power receiving device based on the active power and the voltage or current of the resonant circuit; and an inverter control unit for controlling the inverter circuit based on the estimated load voltage.

Citation Information

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